


Somewhere Beneath the Narnian Moon

by YvaJ



Category: Chronicles of Narnia (Movies), Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-23
Updated: 2014-07-23
Packaged: 2018-02-10 02:32:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 64,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2007711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YvaJ/pseuds/YvaJ
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's the Golden Age in Narnia, but rumors of an uprising are filtering through Lantern Waste bringing Aslan home.  While protecting an unfortunate nymph, Lucy must also contend with the feelings that go along with becoming a woman and Tumnus must contend with all that and then some.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story was written several years ago and updated to post here. Yes, it is a romance, and yes there are two species involved. All parties involved are beyond the age of consent and the story is not graphic. As with most of my stories, I leave a good deal to the imagination. If you don't like Narnia stories with those elements, it won't hurt my feelings a bit if you choose to read something else. I have also tried to make the chapters a bit longer. Enjoy.

  
**Somewhere Beneath the Narnian Moon**  
By: YvaJ  
 **Chapter 1**  


The moonlight cast eerie shadows throughout the meadow. Night had fallen on Narnia and all the creatures in the Lantern Waste had gathered in celebration. It had been a wonderful year, and a new one was now upon them. It was a happy time for all parties involved. The beavers, the fauns, the nymphs and all the talking beasts had gathered for a celebration.

It had been some years since a celebration of this magnitude had taken place, not since the White Witch had been in power. Now, the feeling of elation seemed to fill the meadows with music as springtime blossoms could be smelled in the air.

This was quite normal, as they were, after all, Aslan’s folk. They supported and loved the great lion with all their hearts and knew that he held no objection to them returning to their gleeful lives after the hundred years of winter.

Separated from the throng of partygoers was the faun Tumnus. He was not in a celebratory mood; his thoughts had turned to contemplations. He sat not too far away from a decorated table, his normally cheerful blue eyes watching as Mrs. Beaver walked over to a table and removed a large tablecloth, which covered a wicker basket that she carried. With the help of Mr. Beaver, they used it to cover the table before placing the basket nearby and removing the small jars from it and placing them on the table. As she did, she looked at her husband. “Come Love, help by opening some of these jars.”

Mr. Beaver nodded and with his strong and experienced paws, he managed to open several of them as Mrs. Beaver looked up and spoke, her voice drifting across the meadow. “Come join us, Tumnus, I brought your favorite marmalade.”

The faun nodded as he stood and came over to the table, his hooves scraping against the ground, but when he reached it, he peered into the basket. “Oh Mrs. Beaver, your kindness is overwhelming, this is indeed my favorite flavor.”

“Oh come now, since when have you talked to me in such a formal way? We have been friends many a season, my dear Tumnus, but yet I get the feeling that you aren’t feeling up to celebrating with us tonight. What is on your mind, Dear Heart?” Although noticeably smaller than Tumnus in stature, the kindly beaver spoke to him as a mother would speak to a young child.

Tumnus looked at Mr. Beaver. “Have you heard any news from the Kings and Queens? Did they intend on coming to Lantern Waste tonight?”

“No news, I’m afraid, High King Peter made mention of the new season, but he never implied whether or not Their Majesties would be in attendance. As Kings and Queens, you do realize that they are quite busy.”

“Yes, I do,” Tumnus said softly. “Three seasons have passed since I have last seen Lucy, uh, I mean of course Queen Lucy.” He sighed deeply as the beaver looked at him.

“You met her as Lucy once upon a time; it must be terribly difficult even after so many seasons to recognize her as a Queen of Narnia. She was just Lucy back in those days. Try not to worry, when she has time to come see you, she will.”

Tumnus nodded, but glanced up to see that a tree nymph named Angelina was watching from a distance, her young eyes regarding them curiously. It seemed rather apparent that she had not yet gunned up the courage to approach the group of friends. Instead of waiting for her to do so, the faun decided that he would take the incentive. “I shall return, Mrs. Beaver,” he offered with a slight bow. He started to walk some distance away from the table to a crop of trees where he could see that she was standing alone amidst them.

As he reached her, he could see that she was several centimeters shorter than he was, her long blonde hair hanging down to her waist. Instead of it being clean as nymphs usually were, this one’s hair was matted and unkempt.

“Hello,” he offered once he had approached her. He extended his hand in a welcoming manner but did not seem surprised when she did not accept it.

“Hi,” she responded but lowered her head as the music began to play in the distance. She kept her head lowered until she felt the light touch of his hand on her shoulder.

“I take it you are not in the mood for a celebration?” he asked.

“No, not really, I don’t feel very welcome here,” she offered shyly.

“But, of course you are. Everyone who joins in the celebration is welcome,” he responded. “Perhaps it would help if we danced.”

“You wish to dance with me?” she asked shyly, her green eyes a sea of hope.

Tumnus looked down at her. She was such a young nymph and although he had read ‘Nymphs and their Ways’ on at least ten occasions, he could see something rather out of character in this young one. Instead of being cheerful and filled with vitality, there was something in her that resembled dejection and sadness.

“Of course,” he smiled at her, all the while trying to shake off the feeling that something was not quite right. Instead of speaking of these assertions, he decided to heed the advice of the she-beaver when she had told him that he should have fun and enjoy himself.

In response to his words, the nymph nodded, “I’d be honored,” she said as she watched him ceremoniously offer her his arm. Once she had accepted it, he led her out into the open meadow as she looked up at him.

“Your name is Tumnus correct?” She asked with a timid smile. Once he nodded, she continued, her eyes brightening somewhat. “I’ve heard tell of your bravery and undying loyalty to those whom you call a friend.”

“I am not so sure if that is completely accurate,” Tumnus said modestly. “I have done nothing worthy of praise.”

“But you have,” she said bowing her head and looking down at the ground humbly.

“Please, do not do that,” he said solemnly. “I am a mere faun, and the only good that came out of my actions was that the Daughter of Eve was safe and managed, with the help of her siblings, to reach the Stone Table and Aslan. I was turned into stone because of my ‘treachery’, but later was awakened by the great lion himself.”

“You mean; you met Aslan?” Angelina asked softly. “It must have been so wonderful to actually see him in person.”

“More like terrifying and wonderful at the same time,” Tumnus said. “When he woke me at the witch’s castle, I thought my heart would surely catch in my throat. It was a feeling unlike any I had ever experienced. I was in the arms of my most treasured friend, and Aslan stood nearby and watched patiently.”

“Did you always know that Aslan was good?” She asked weakly, and noticed that his back had suddenly tensed. Lowering her arms, she backed slowly away from him. Somehow, she could tell that he was disquieted by her inquiry and it suddenly felt as though she was dancing with a stiff wooden log instead of a faun. After several moments of silence had passed between them, she raised her head sadly, “My apologies for making you feel uncomfortable.”

With that, she managed to stumble away from him. He remained standing stationary for several moments and was staring after her as she disappeared in the distance. “What did I say?” he muttered under his breath as he began to slowly follow her. There was something intriguing about this young one and now his curiosity was piqued.

After several moments he realized that he had lost sight of the young nymph and he made his way back over to the table and sat down on a bamboo-covered chair that was not far away. For whatever reason, he felt a tinge of sadness and guilt about his earlier behavior. _They see me as a hero, but I am anything but heroic, I did what I could to survive,_ he thought sadly as he shook his head. _I truly am not in the mood to celebrate anything even if Mrs. Beaver’s jams are the best in all of Narnia._

As if reading his mind, Mrs. Beaver came over to him. “I saw you dancing with that young nymph and you looked as though you were having a delightful time. Why are you sitting here all by yourself, Tumnus?”

“I said something that I should not have said and she ran away so quickly that I was not able to catch up with her,” he said honestly.

“I see, but what did you say?” she asked, her voice remaining soft and gentle.

“I don’t know,” he said as he wrung his hands together and placed them on his lap. “I think coming to celebrate was a bad idea.”

“No, Dear Heart, a bad idea is sitting in your cramped cave and reading ‘Is Man a Myth’ for the twentieth time,” the beaver said with a gentle smile and a nod of her head. “You are concerned, just as you were concerned for Queen Lucy. You are one of the most emphatic creatures in all of Narnia, my friend. It is for that reason that it stands to reason that you would find a friendship with Angelina. She comes from a family of traitors you know.”

“Perhaps she does, but the way her eyes lit up at the mention of Aslan, I doubt very seriously that she might be involved with any dark forces that may still exist in Narnia,” Tumnus said.

“Then perhaps you should go and find her,” she said. “Be a friend, Tumnus. That is what you are known for; your loyal friendship to others,” she said.

Tumnus nodded and smiled as he got to his hooves and slowly made his way through the throng of Narnians until he reached the lamppost where he had met Lucy Pevensie the first time all those years ago. As he came closer to the light that emanated from it, he could hear that the sounds of laughter had once more faded, leaving the area around the lantern quiet and peaceful.

Coming closer he could make out a silhouette of someone standing before it, their head was tilted up and they seemed to be staring at the light. After several moments, he realized that the one who was standing at the base was Angelina. The nymph was holding several strands of her hair and was twirling them around her trembling hand.

“Angelina?” He spoke her name and she released her hair and turned around. Before she could respond to, he continued speaking. “What are you doing out here all by yourself?” he asked. “We were dancing and you suddenly disappeared.”

“I didn’t feel like dancing, I was trying only to be polite,” she offered, her voice emerging somewhat anxiously.

“You did not wish to dance?” he asked as he wrung his hands together. “Why did not say so after I asked?”

“It does not matter, I…” her voice trailed off and she lowered her head. Silence enveloped them for several moments before she continued speaking, her voice laced in sadness. “…If you knew who I am, you would never wish to speak to me again. Why would you wish to dance with one such as I?”

“Why would I not?” Tumnus countered her question with one of his own. When she did not respond he continued. “You are a child of our wood and not one to despise. You could not have done something so terrible that I would rise up in anger against you.” He paused, but when he looked over and could see a small glimmer of hope in the recesses of her green eyes, he waved one of his arms welcomingly. “Shall we go and sit somewhere where we can be alone and talk? You seem like a child who is so far away.”

“I’m not so much a child…” she began.

“To me you are,” he said but offered his arm. “Come, we can go wherever you like, but you need to find peace.”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I think I like the way that sounds.”

The faun nodded as the young nymph wrapped her still trembling hand around his offered arm and allowed him to lead her away from the lamppost. As they walked, he cast a glance back towards the glowing light. “I suppose that Lantern Waste holds a great many memories for me,” he began as they came closer to his cave. “It was in that place where I met Queen Lucy the very first time.”

“What are humans like?” Angelina asked. “I have never met one.”

“They are a lot like us, they are kind; but sometimes they experience fear, sadness, joy, and happiness just as we often do,” he said without hesitating. “The only difference between us is our appearance, and of course the place where each of us are born.”

“My mother used to talk about humans, but she referred to them as legends; sort of like in that book, ‘Is Man a Myth?’. Are you familiar with it?”

“Yes, actually I am, I have read this book countless times,” Tumnus said as they momentarily stopped several meters away from the faun’s cave. “I think it entranced Queen Lucy the very first time she visited my cave. She would look at the books on the shelf and read through the different titles. She would then whisper the names as she read them. She probably didn’t think I had actually noticed or heard her speaking, but I did. In fact, it was because she had touched that book during her visit that I found myself becoming quite attached to it and opted to keep it in my sitting room. Her friendship inspired so many positive things in me.”

“It must be nice to share such a friendship as that, where you hold tightly to everything that your friend touches,” Angelina said, her voice emerging soft. “I haven’t many friends.”

“That cannot be true,” he said, his voice filled with unhidden surprise.

“But it is, it’s because my family is not well liked in the meadow. My father worked for the White Witch when she was in power,” she confessed. “He…” her words cracked and she looked away from him.

“…Angelina, you are not at fault for the actions of your father,” he said calmly.

“But, I love him,” she blurted out and Tumnus nodded.

“I understand, I too love my father, he fought in the Great War,” he said as he reached over and rested his hand on her shoulder. “Aslan would not judge you for anything that has transpired; instead he would tell you that he loves you regardless.”

“Aslan…” the nymph spoke the name softly. She bowed her head shamefully, the tears streaming from beneath her eyes. “My father betrayed so many, and I am his daughter. An apple does not fall far from the tree.”

Tumnus shook his head, but seconds later, another nymph stalked over to them. She had the same green eyes as Angelina and he supposed that this was the young one’s mother. By the time she had reached them, she grabbed Angelina’s hand and began pulling her away.

“What are you doing out here with him?” She demanded.

“We were just talking, we had met at the Lantern and he was telling me about Queen Lucy,” Angelina said softly.

“You know how I feel about this,” Angelina’s mother snapped. “You are betraying the trust of your family.”

“No, I’m not,” Angelina tried to pull her arm away from her mother, but she eventually gave up, admitting defeat. After several more moments of struggling, she looked at Tumnus. “You see,” she managed to speak. “I am of no significance here.”

As these words filled Tumnus’ ears, he watched as the young nymph was practically dragged away and the kindhearted faun was left staring after them. “I don’t understand,” he eventually muttered his voice reaching the trees. Instead of following, he turned back around and walked towards the black door that concealed his cave.

“It’s really quite simple, my young friend,” another voice emerged and he turned around to see that coming down the path was another faun, this one several centimeters shorter than Tumnus, but instead of walking upright, he was hunched over a wooden cane.

Tumnus knew the faun quite well, his name was Tobias and he was a mentor when he was young. He had taught geography back when Tumnus was in school, but that was so many years ago that Tumnus could not recall everything that he had been told. The grandest mysteries that Tobias knew not of were the whereabouts of Spare Oom and War Drobe. Throughout his youth, he had pondered where these places were or if they were in Narnia at all. At that particular moment, these thoughts seemed, at best, insignificant.

Now, Tobias stood next to him, his hand rubbing through his aged whiskers and his wise eyes regarding him with all too familiar disapproval. “You would think well of my words, Tumnus, your dearly departed father would be shocked and surprised to see you speaking to the likes of her. She is not of Aslan’s folk, my friend,” the elder faun scolded with a shake of his finger. “Nymphs of her kind would not have thought twice about betraying us to the witch.”

“The witch is dead, Tobias, Aslan destroyed her and I saw him do it,” he said patiently.

“Yes, of that I am quite aware, as I have heard the stories too many times to count. Yet, it was her father who betrayed a large group of fauns back during the witch’s reign, and need I remind you that your father was one of those who courageously fought against her forces? That old dryad, Johann, betrayed him and that is this nymph's father. Tumnus, I speak honestly to you, but such friendships or bonds can only reap misfortune, not only for High King Peter, but for the Narnian Kingdom,” the older faun said. “Johann was a crafty one, alright, and he was easily persuaded to follow orders. He taught his children that as well, and you must know that it would be a foolish act to believe in someone of that kind.”

“You forget that I was in pay of the White Witch too,” Tumnus said sadly. “She had persuaded me to go after human children just the same as she used Johann to do her bidding.”

“Of that I am fully aware, but do take heart my young friend, although you were in the witch’s pay, you never once harmed any human child. You loved Queen Lucy as a friend and confidant should. Your story will go down in Narnian history as the faun who proved to be the greatest friend known to all talking beasts. You need not be reminded that you were willing to put yourself at great risk to save her life. I am sure that the family of Johann would knife you in the back at any given moment if the chance happened to present itself. She can do magic my friend, and those green eyes could take advantage of your good will and bring undue harm to you.”

“She cannot harm anyone, Tobias, the witch is dead, she has been for many a season, and Narnia is free,” Tumnus said firmly and finding himself unwilling to discuss this further, he looked at the elder faun. “I think I shall return to my cave now, Tobias, I am quite tired and contrary to the others, I am truly not in the best of mood to celebrate. Please excuse me, I wish you a pleasant evening.”

He separated himself from the elder faun and without even waiting for Tobias to respond, he returned to his cave.

~~~~~

Several hours after his conversation with Tobias, Tumnus was sitting alone in his cave. His eyes closed slightly as he tried to make himself comfortable in his sitting room. This proved unsuccessful as his gaze kept drifting to the bookshelf. All the books were lined neatly on it, the spines literally shimmering from the candlelight as it shone across the golden writing. The cave was silent except for the sounds of the crackling fire in the fireplace. Even during the summer months, on especially cool evenings, Tumnus so enjoyed sitting in his cave, with a lighted fire, and cup of tea in his hand.

He always enjoyed the solitude; it was a promising companion for the faun. His thoughts, however, always seemed to return to Lucy and the day that they had met. She had visited him that day as a little girl, but today, she was nearly nineteen, quite lovely, and the essence of queenly grace. It seemed hard for him to believe that the young girl who could talk so quickly when she became anxious or excited, had grown into such a radiant beauty in nearly a dozen short seasons. Their friendship had blossomed over time, but this did not mean that he would see her each and every day. It was quite the contrary actually; her last visit had been several seasons back, three to be precise. He missed her company terribly; his memories of her were the only things that kept their friendship thriving in his heart.

He brushed a lock of dark blond hair out from in front of his eyes, yet as he shoved it to one side of his left horn. After several moments of apt contemplation, he slowly stood up and walked over to the mirror that was next to the door leading outside. Above it was a small circular window and below it a container was placed, which held several umbrellas.

Instead of paying it any mind, he looked at his reflection in the mirror. “I must be aging faster than I thought,” he whispered under his breath as he took a single strand of gray hair and jerked it from his head, a small throbbing left in its wake as he rubbed the spot and continued speaking. “By the Lion’s mane, I don’t want to grow old, not when the one I love is so young and alive.”

Although alone, these words seemed to hang in the air like a pendulum and he found himself slapping his hand over his mouth unconsciously. _Did I just say that?_ He asked himself, his blue eyes now wide with shock. _If anyone had heard me speak such a thing, they would surely have taken me for the faun that had gone completely mad._

He took a deep breath as he shook his head. _It must have been his latest trip to the lamppost, he concluded, my thoughts seem to always go a bit crazy after having gone there. If these thoughts were the result of my trip to the lamppost, then perhaps it would be wise for me to cease going there altogether. Such foolish talk from a faun my age is simply not right. My friendship with Queen Lucy is far more precious than all the gold in Narnia. Besides, Angelina needs a friend right now, not a lovesick faun who is acting rather like an old goat._

After what seemed like an eternity, he glanced over to the simple golden frame that hung with pride over the mantle place and his thoughts turned to his father. Lucy had made sure that the picture had been repaired and had even assisted in trying to help get his cave into some semblance of order after his arrest. Yet, Tobias’ words had left an extremely unsettled feeling in the pit of his stomach. _What if it had been Angelina’s father who had been responsible for my father’s death? What if all the love of Aslan would not change that horrible fact? What if Tobias had been right all along and I am setting myself up for trouble?_

Tumnus quickly made his way towards his bedroom. I can return to the winter cave, he thought frantically as he began to pull a large cloth bag out from underneath his bed. He knew that he was running away, but he could not help it. If he faced Angelina again, what would he say? How would he react to her?

 _No,_ he shook his head. Instead of leaving that night, he would move back to his other cave first thing in the morning. He needed the time to work through all the feelings he had. He also concluded that no one would assume or think anything of it. It was, after all, the very same reason that he had taken possession of a second cave. He wanted to spend the winter months near Cair Paravel and that cave was not far away from the west wall of the castle. It seemed perfectly logical for him to split his time between both of the places, which he was equally fond. The cave in Lantern Waste was where he had grown up, and Lucy had convinced him that he would regret giving it up. With the young queen’s assistance, he had fixed it up and was using it as a summer residence.

His thoughts returned to Angelina, the young nymph had been convinced that he would be angry with her, and perhaps he was a little unnerved by what he had heard about her. He also realized that he truly had no reason to be angry, as these were just rumors. After all, there were many who were misguided by the White Witch. She had initially taken even King Edmund for a fool. If he were to sit and judge everyone who had worked for her, then he’d probably have judged half the wood. Shaking his head, he rubbed his hands together, his thoughts returning once more to Lucy.

Oh how he cared for her, although many in the wood thought that his endless speaking of Queen Lucy was a strange cross between sweet and unnerving. They felt that he secretly regarded her as an object of affection, and perhaps objectively, he did. The faun had often chuckled at what they had been implying, notwithstanding all the effort he made to block out these troublesome thoughts. These pressing questions would still emerge, the main one being: ‘Am I in love with her?’

 _No_ , he eventually concluded, _it is wrong to feel a love for her that extended beyond the friendship we have shared. I would not do something to damage or destroy it,_ he tried to convince himself. He hoped with all his heart that the feelings he carried would remain locked away never to be discussed; neither with Lucy nor anyone else for that matter.

Still, the faun truly wished that his father could have been present to advise him on these confusing matters of the heart. Perhaps a talk with Lucy would help him to understand what he felt for her, yet that too was ultimately dismissed. “She is a Daughter of Eve, a Queen, and I am merely a faun,” he whispered softly to himself. “That is the way it should be, a friendship and nothing more. If it was meant to be something other than that, then I would have been made human, or Lucy would have been a faun.”

He stopped his frantic packing and slowly walked out of his bedroom and returned to the sitting room. He went over to the bookshelf where all his books were kept and reached for the one, which read the name, ‘Is Man a Myth?’ As he clutched the book tightly to his chest, he could feel himself chuckling from deep within his throat. He remembered how Angelina had asked about that particular book, and it struck him as ironic that this would capture the interest of both of them.

He ran his fingers slowly over the spine and smiled secretly. “I had never met a Son of Adam or Daughter of Eve before you, Lucy Pevensie,” he uttered the very same statement that he had spoken when he had confessed what he had intended when she was just a little girl. Perhaps his meeting with Angelina earlier that day was what triggered these wonderful, yet terrifying, memories.

Lucy had the most loving soul and she had forgiven me, just as she forgave her brother for his actions. His old teacher, on the other hand, did not seem at all willing to forgive the young nymph for her connection to a betrayer. He could not understand these prejudices for they would mean that he would have to judge his beloved Lucy for being related to Edmund. There was nothing that she could have done to change her brother anymore than Angelina could have changed her own father.

Rubbing his shoulder, he remembered the day when he had spoken to King Edmund after everything had happened. After one brief meeting, the faun could completely understand the meaning of the word ‘just’ in relation to the young Narnian King.

Edmund had been just; probably more so than the faun had been. He learned a great deal that day, but still shuddered as he recalled the events during his imprisoned in Jadis’ castle. He still had the scars from the shackles that had been around his legs prior to being turned to stone and his horns had been sawed off during the witch’s fit of rage and anger. He still shuddered whenever he recalled the experience.

A single tear trickled down over his face and meshed against the beard the covered his chin. “It was dreadful,” he whispered trying to block out the memory with a shake of his head, “absolutely dreadful.” Perhaps it was that memory that kept King Edmund’s younger sister away. She loved her brother and he had seen the extent of love the motivated her throughout the battle. He recalled how Edmund had put himself at risk when he had destroyed the witch’s wand, which left her incapable of performing anymore of her horrible magic. The young king had done so as way of proving that everyone is worthy of forgiveness. _All of us,_ Tumnus rationalized, _including that nymph’s family._

He returned to his chair and seated himself, the book he casually opened. Although he stared down at the writing, he did not begin reading. Instead he sat with the object resting lackadaisically on his lap. Seconds later, the book slipped from his lap and fell with a thud onto the floor. Tumnus had fallen asleep. When he opened his eyes again, he could see the first lights of dawn filtering in through the window.

 _Have I truly been sitting here all night?_ He pondered, but after several moments, and feeling his back growing stiff, he nodded. He had indeed fallen asleep by the fire, but now the cave had cooled down considerably once the fire had gone out.

His ears suddenly perked when he heard the sound of someone knocking loudly on his front door. As he stood to go and investigate, he broke into a smile when he heard a soft feminine voice filling his ears.

“Mister Tumnus?”

There was no mistaking it. Only one person still addressed him as ‘Mister Tumnus’, although he had often wished that they would drop the formalities. Getting to his hooves, he hastened to the door nearly stumbling by the time he had reached it. As he pressed down on the lever and pulled the door open, he found himself looking down into the eyes of Queen Lucy.

Nothing had changed in the three seasons since her last visit; she still had the same innocence lurking in those brown eyes of hers. He felt his heart pounding in his chest, and feeling like a shy schoolboy, he licked his lips as he stared, unmoving, at her. “Lucy,” he whispered, but something in him felt as though his entire body was still made of stone.

“What is it, Mister Tumnus?” She asked when he did not move from the doorway and allow her access to his home. Self-consciously, she looked down at the ground. It was clear to the young queen that too much time had passed since her last visit and they both were fully aware of that fact.

After some time had passed, she found her voice and spoke, her question bringing him out of his reverie. “Is something the matter? Are you angry with me?”

“No, my sincerest apologies, Your Majesty,” he offered smiling as he executed a formal, but very humble bow. “I did not intend to be rude; I am just rather surprised to see you. It has been so long.” As he spoke, he cast a somewhat troubled glance back into the disarray of his sitting room and sighed.

“Please Mister Tumnus, no more bowing and formalities,” Queen Lucy said with traces of melancholy in her voice. “May I come in or shall I prepare myself to stand in your doorway until nightfall? I have come a very long way, as you can see and would really like to sit down. I’m quite exhausted, you see.”

“Of course, how foolish of me, please do come in. I-I was just getting ready to make some breakfast. W-would you care to join me?” He backed away from the door, allowing her access to the cave. Before closing the door, he cast a final glance outside before pushing it closed.

Seeing this, Lucy stayed at his side, her hand reaching out and touching his shoulder. “Are you worried about something?” she asked softly. “Peter said that we have defeated all the White Witch’s supporters. After so many years, they should all be completely gone.”

“Are you sure there aren’t still sympathizers out there?” he asked hesitantly.

“I don’t know, but I don’t think so. Come now, old friend, what ever is the matter?” Lucy looked at him. “You look as though you have seen a three headed ogre or something just as scary.”

“No, I haven’t, but my dear Queen Lucy, these old habits are not always so easy to break. I have tried for many a season to stop doing that,” he said blushing despite himself.

“Yes, I think I understand,” she said and looked at him as he sat down, his legs trembling somewhat. Instead of taking notice of this, she went over to the chair he reserved ‘for a friend’ and sat down without saying anything further.

The young Narnian queen had always felt comfortable in his home. Yet, from looking at him, she could tell that there was something was seriously wrong and she was determined to find out what specifically it was. She knew that Tumnus would not just out and tell her what was going on, he was a very private faun; she had recognized this as she grew into an adult.

After several minutes had passed, she eventually turned to face him, but not before the words tumbled out without her being able to stop them. “You’re my dearest friend in all of Narnia, Mister Tumnus.”

“I do not know why you say that, Daughter of Eve,” he said bashfully as he unconsciously ran his hand down over his bearded chin and shook his head. “You have met Aslan and have been protected by the Beavers, and have so many worthy subjects.”

“Yes, but I also have you, my very best friend,” she said as she leaned forward as though wanting to tell him a long and guarded secret. “I wanted to come back and see you before now, but I wasn’t sure if I could. Forgive me, please, I felt so dreadful about not having come sooner, especially now in the wake of my brother telling me about his time at the witch’s castle.” She looked at him, her eyes filled with shyness. “All the things he told me, it was rather hard for me to not break down and cry.”

“It is all in the past, dear Lucy Pevensie,” he consoled her, his voice steady. “You must not feel badly about that. I would face a thousand witches if it meant I could protect you from harm.”

“That is very noble of you, but Mister Tumnus, Edmund told me every last detail of what happened in that prison. It took him so long to tell me, perhaps because he felt such guilt for it, and hearing it was perhaps necessary, but it – it broke my heart. It was much worse than when Susan and I found you in the courtyard as a statue.”

“You mustn’t do this to yourself, my friend, it is not worth discussing. As you can see, I am fine. Aslan saved me, as he has done with so many others. You must not feel badly about that anymore, it was never my intention for you to find out about it,” he said as he reached over and wiped the tears from her eyes. “Such a friendship as we share is worth all that and more.”

Lucy nodded but looked up at her friend. “You have always protected me, and I repay that by not coming back.”

In response to this, the faun looked at her, his expression grave, but his eyes intent. “It is in the past, my friend, eleven or so years has been a very long wait for us to discuss what happened. As for you not coming, you are here now, that means something,” he said and smiled at her. “Yet, I must ask, when did you speak of this to King Edmund?”

“Two evenings ago,” she whispered, “I snuck out afterwards and came here immediately. This is why I am so tired, I traveled all night. Edmund said that you had asked about me, and that you said you had been worried. You didn’t want me to be trapped in that horrible prison, you didn’t want me to go through what you went through, but yet, I felt terribly because I knew that it was my fault.”

Tumnus shook his head. “No, don’t ever believe that. In knowing that you were free was the only thing that kept me going, Lucy,” he said and after a moment he slapped his hand over his mouth. “I mean, Your Majesty, of course how foolish of me.”

“No, you meant ‘Lucy’, and I’m glad that you still can call me by my name,” she whispered softly. “You knew me when I wasn’t a Queen of Narnia, you knew me longer than anyone here ever has and you’ve always been my friend even when I was treated like a nuisance.”

“You were never a nuisance to me,” he said smiling weakly. “You’re valiant and noble, you always have been.”

Lucy extended her hands to him and when she felt his fingers wrapping around her hand, she smiled weakly when she felt his hands trembling somewhat. “Why are you trembling, Mister Tumnus? Will you tell me what’s wrong?”

“Even after all this time, you know me well,” he whispered as he released her hands. “Last evening there was a celebration of sorts in Lantern Waste, and I met someone.”

“You met another faun?” Lucy asked nudging him as though she was exchanging gossip with girls in a locker room. Yet somewhere in the depths of her voice, a hint of sadness could faintly be detected, and she became fearful that her dearest friend had fallen head over tail in love. “Tell me everything,” she forced a smile as she rested her chin in her hands and leaned forward, her elbows on her knees and she waited expectantly for his answer to emerge.

“Oh no, no, no, no, that is not what I meant,” he stammered.

“No wedding?” she asked, her breath suddenly stopping for an instant as these two words hung idly in the air.

“No wedding,” he affirmed with a slight smile. “My dear Lucy, as a young lady, I know that a girl’s heart turns to fancy when they reach a certain age, but I am not a boy, I am…” his gaze came to rest on his legs and he smiled weakly as his words trailed.

“…You are a lovely faun, and any young lady faun would be very lucky to have your affections,” Lucy said as Tumnus’ face went a shade redder than his favorite scarf.

“Oh please, do stop, I am trying to be serious,” he said, but a small chuckle emerged from between his pursed lips no matter how hard he tried to conceal it.

“For someone who is being serious, you sure are laughing rather loudly,” the queen remarked with a small, mischievous smile.

Seconds later, their conversation was abruptly interrupted by the sounds of screaming that was emerging from just outside the cave’s front door. Lucy turned and looked at her friend with shock registering on her face.

“W-what do you suppose has happened?” she managed.

“I don’t know,” Tumnus responded but watched as Lucy abruptly got to her feet. “No,” he cried. “Let me.”

“Now is not the time to play hero and great protector,” Lucy snapped as she turned and faced her friend. Stubbornly, she reached for the small dagger she carried amidst the folds of her skirts and pulled it from its sheath. With it held tightly in her hand, she started towards the door. “I can take care of myself, Mister Tumnus,” she said as she came closer to it.

“Of course, I-I know you can, I just,” he stammered and lowered his head bashfully, this time his cheeks were flushing in shame and dishonor.

By the time Lucy had reached the door, the faun was left feeling even more sheepish than anything else. Luckily for him, he was still standing behind her, and she could not see the humiliation that was now manifested in his eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Several meters away from the faun’s cave, Angelina was running from where her family lived. Her long blonde hair was blowing in the breeze sometimes getting into her eyes, but she pushed it aside without thinking. As she reached a clearing, she stopped when she saw two centaurs blocking the path leading to the faun’s cave.

She did not recognize the creatures immediately, but when she saw the armor that covered their chests, she knew that they were both part of Aslan’s army. As she stared at them, she found herself starting to feel insecure about making the attempt in bypassing the two of them. They both looked so strong and confident, while she, on the other hand, felt weak and insignificant.

After finding her speaking with the faun Tumnus, her mother had yelled at her, tossing unanswerable questions at her daughter about their meeting. When her answers did not satisfy the older nymph, physical pain became the result.

Now, since spotting the centaurs, she slowed her pace down, her attention once more diverting to her ravaged appearance. Lining her arms and legs, bruises and other injuries were present. One of her eyes had been swollen shut by the blows she had been subjected to, the pain she carried now indescribable. 

The worst of it was that her father had remained hidden and watched without a word or action, his coal black eyes peering out from a hidden sanctuary in their home. Johann could not speak a word at all. Angelina could, however, remember the biting words of her mother. She had said as much when she had dragged her daughter away. Those like Tumnus were playing the hero while those like her father were forced to live out his days in hiding. Her mother had refused to believe in the notion of redemption or that a creature of Narnia could regain favor through Aslan. In fact, her words about the noble Lion did not bear repeating.

_I want to believe in him,_ she kept whispering to herself as she wrapped her pale arms around herself and continued to hesitantly watch the centaurs. Neither seemed willing to move, and she knew that if they saw her, it could mean trouble.

The guilt that was etched in her mother’s words had cut her like a knife. Contrary to the actions of her parents, Angelina believed from the core of her being that Aslan existed. Her prayers consisted of her pleading with him to come and help her, but in truth, each time his name was mentioned she was filled with terror. This was not so much about what would happen if she actually met Aslan, but rather, what her parents would say or do if they discovered the truth about their daughter’s unspoken loyalties.

Angelina remembered what Tumnus had said the night before, but now she was convinced that there was no one who could possibly help her. She was an outcast by association. Although she loved both of her parents, she felt torn between the loyalties to her family and to her heart. Her mother had even gone as far to say that Aslan did not exist and that she would be foolish to believe in a nonexistent king.

_I want to believe,_ she thought to herself as she started walking once again in the direction of Tumnus’ cave. She did not realize what she was doing until she heard a loud voice shouting in her direction.

“Stop!”

She raised her head to see that one of the two centaurs had spotted her. With what seemed like two quick strides, he was now standing directly in front of her, and she was now staring at the tip of a sword. Not knowing what to do, she backed up, but found herself trapped by the second of the two centaurs, his gleaming eyes now staring down at her.

“Well, well, well, what have we here?” The first centaur looked at his companion. “I do believe we have found the daughter of Johann.”

“It looks like her, but how can you be sure?” His companion asked.

“Just look at those eyes of hers, that’s a dead giveaway,” the first centaur said. “You visit these parts enough, and you come to know who is who. At any rate, I’m almost certain that High King Peter will be pleased once we manage to round up the rest of her treacherous family.”

“I hear there’s quite a reward being offered for the capture for the whole group of traitors,” the second said, smiling. “Perhaps we can get some information out of her about the whereabouts of her father.”

She shook her head. “I-I don’t know anything,” she stammered. “Please, just leave me alone…” As she spoke, her eyes filled with fear. _What will they do to me?_ She asked herself as she sank to the ground, her gaze still on them. _How was it that I was in the meadow with many people last night, but only now they are paying attention to me?_ She took a step back towards the trees, but bypassing the roguish centaurs was impossible. They had her trapped with no way out.

“Come Lass,” the first centaur said, “the dungeon at Cair Paravel is not so bad, and I’m sure that you’ll be well provided for there.”

“Yes,” the second added mockingly. “I hear they have wonderful Turkish delight.” 

Angelina covered her face with her trembling hands, but within seconds one of the centaurs had captured her wrists and jerked her to her feet while the second took a sturdy piece of rope and bound her wrists together. Her hands felt as though there was no blood circulating in them and she could almost feel the rope literally burning through the skin. She could feel the agonized tears filling her eyes as felt this, but continued to struggle.

“Let me go!” she pleaded, her voice a loud, shrill scream, which filtered through the wood, and various animals raised their heads and listened as the nymph continued to plead for her freedom.

When they did not respond, she continued to scream until one of them slapped her hard across the face and she could feel her cheek stinging. “Please,” she whimpered. “I didn’t do anything, I’m not a traitor…” her voice trailed as the soft sobs replaced them, but the two centaurs seemed not to listen. Instead, they continued to half-drag, half-carry her struggling body back in the direction of the lamppost.

After what felt like an eternity for Angelina, she could hear the rustling sound coming from a crop of trees in the distance. Moments later, a booming voice emerged.

“Release her!”

“Who says?” The second centaur asked. “Are you her daddy and coming to turn yourself in?”

“No,” the voice emerged once again, but this time a silhouette could be seen and this was clearly not one belonging to a dryad, but instead, someone much larger. “It is I.” This time, the two centaurs raised their heads and beheld a large golden lion, standing not too far away. 

“Lord Aslan?” The first one stammered.

“Yes,” the single word emerged. “Now, what have you done to this child? You support me, yes, but you have taken it upon yourselves to be judge and jury for her,” he shook his head, his golden mane flowing in the breeze. “Remove the bonds.”

The second one nodded as he began to remove the ties. As they were dropped to the ground, one could see the blood from her wrists now on the ropes. “If I may ask, why would you wish to defend the likes of her? Her family…”

“…I know what her family did, and I know what happened to your family, Theodosius,” the lion answered calmly. “Yet you look at her and see her as a traitor, when all I see is a child of the forest. This little one was not yet here when the witch carried out her evil magic. The forest of today is not the same place as the forest of the previous generation. She has done nothing wrong as she has said; and most certainly nothing to dishonor anyone or anything. Now that you have released her, you may now return home and leave her in my care,” the lion commanded.

He watched as the centaurs distanced themselves from them. As soon as they were alone, he looked down at the young nymph who had collapsed onto to the ground. Fearfully, she was watching everything take place.

As the great lion’s gaze came to rest on her, she slowly raised her head until she was looking into his loving and gentle gaze.

From his perspective, Aslan could tell that Angelina was terrified. The young nymph was still trembling like a leaf even after having been released, her arms wrapping around herself. “Fear not, my child, I mean you no harm and none will befall you,” he offered.

“Aslan…” she stammered, but no further words emerged. Her last remaining energy gave out and she collapsed onto the ground and ultimately lost consciousness.

Aslan sat down on the ground next to where the nymph now lay and waited. Lucy and Tumnus were nearby, that much he knew. Surely the two friends had heard the nymph’s terrified screams when she had been captured and would eventually come in order to investigate. With the help of the faun and the young queen, Aslan knew that Angelina would be safe.

Within seconds, just as he had surmised, he could see that Lucy was running towards them with Tumnus right on her heels. The light from the lamppost made the great lion look even more majestic. And upon recognizing him, Lucy quickly returned her weapon to its sheath and ran over to him. “Aslan, it’s you. You came back. It’s so wonderful to see you. I’ve missed you so terribly,” she said excitedly as she reached his side and wrapped her arms as far around him as they would go and buried her face in his mane.

“Yes, my child,” the lion said, chuckling. Once Lucy had backed some steps away from him, she watched as he gravely lowered his head in the direction of where the young nymph was lying on the ground. Eventually looked at Tumnus and then at Lucy. “I wish for you to help this child, to protect her from those who mean to harm her.”

“Harm her?” Tumnus asked his throat dry.

“My children, there are rumors circulating here as well as at Cair Paravel about a possible uprising. As these are rumors and not necessarily true, they can result in harm befalling those like Angelina,” Aslan said lowering his head and placing a gentle lion’s kiss on the forehead of the nymph. “She is involved, though not in the way you may surmise. I simply ask that you trust me, and take care of her. I know that she is safe as long as she is with you.”

“But Aslan,” Tumnus began, “There is something…”

“I say this; my dear Tumnus do not fear what it is you feel, whether it be about a fair young maiden or a child of the forest. You must trust your feelings, as it will be through them that you will know yourself better. It is also through that where you just might discover that these emotions are perhaps shared,” the great lion said, and within seconds, the faun and Lucy were alone with Angelina. 

“What do you suppose he meant by all of that?” Lucy asked curiously.

“I don’t really know, but perhaps now is not the best time for us to discuss what Aslan means when he says something,” Tumnus tried to rationalize, but his thoughts were still centered on what they had just been told. “Lucy, she’s been hurt.” He sat down on the ground next to her and reached for the nymph’s hand, inspecting it closely. “Someone tried to hurt her. Aslan probably saved her life. I would bet that that was the scream that we heard earlier.”

Lucy looked around and nodded when she saw familiar hoof prints in the dirt next to the lamppost. “Centaurs,” she said after a few moments. “They seemed to have gone off in that direction,” she pointed. “But why would they do this? She’s just a child.”

“I do not know why, but the skin is raw around her wrists. It appears as though someone tried to tie them together with rope. I have some salve in my cave that should help, but we need to get her there quickly. Her wrists are bleeding and her face is covered with bruises,” Tumnus said softly as he shook his head.

Lucy took a deep breath. “Whoever did this will eventually answer to me,” she said firmly. “I will not let this go without consequence.”

“Well, one thing is clear, whoever tried to tie her wrists obviously did so too tightly. These scars will not easily go away,” he said after a few moments.

“They won’t?” Lucy asked.

“No. Just look at my hooves; they were bound in the witch’s castle all those seasons ago and the scars…” his voice trailed and he swallowed, shaking his head. Lucy looked down at his hooves and nodded. He was right. The fur covering his ankles was short, and it was easy to see that the faun’s legs were scarred. Sighing, he returned his attention to Angelina. “…She’s just a child,” he whispered.

Lucy got down on the ground next to Angelina and shook her head. “We’re going to help her as best we can,” the queen said gently. “Do you think you can carry her?”

“She looks rather light,” he said as Lucy stood up. He followed her lead before leaning down and taking the nymph gently in his arms. “Yes,” he affirmed with a nod as he straightened out and they started to make their way in the direction of his cave.

As they reached the door, Lucy pushed it open as Tumnus carried Angelina into the room and he looked around for an adequate place for her to lie down. “We must go into my sleeping room. It’s the only place here where she can get the rest she needs.”

Lucy nodded and followed him. “What should I do?”

“Pull back the covers, and I’ll lay her on the bed. We can use the medication for her physical injuries. After she wakes, I’ll make her some tea,” he said as she started to pull the covers aside, but not before her gaze came to rest on the cloth bag that was at the foot of the bed.

“What’s this?” She asked as she tried to pick up the bag with one hand but noticed that rather than being empty, it was full and heavy and she could barely move it onto the floor. “Mister Tumnus, what is going on?”

As he heard these words, he was tucking Angelina under the covers, but eventually straightened out, all the while rubbing his lower back. “Is this who you met last night?” Lucy asked, and in her voice, if Tumnus was not mistaken, were traces of jealousy.

“We spoke, but there is something I must tell you,” he said as he reached for a small container and opened it. Gently, he began apply the salve against Angelina’s wrists as well as on her face. When he finished, he straightened out and looked at Lucy, who was standing and waiting for him to continue speaking. “Let us leave her to get some rest and I will explain everything.”

Lucy nodded as he returned the lid to the salve and placed it on the nightstand.

~~~~~

After they came out into the sitting room, Lucy went over, sat down, and waited for him to do the same. Once he was seated, she looked at him. “What is going on?”

Tumnus shook his head. “I met her last night at the celebration,” he began. “She’s in trouble and you probably recognized that when we both saw Aslan at the lamppost just now. I spoke to her last night and I found out something that I had forgotten.”

“What did you find out?” Lucy asked.

“If I tell you, then High King Peter will surely find out and Angelina will be in even more trouble than she’s already in,” he said his voice low.

“Then tell me as Lucy, not as the sister of the High King. Please, Mister Tumnus, you have to tell me something, none of this makes any sense,” she said as she bowed her head sadly. “Don’t you trust me? I always trusted you, even from the very first moment.”

“I know you did, and I do trust you Lucy,” he said weakly.

“Then tell me what has happened,” she implored.

“It was all so similar to the time when you and I had met the first time at the lamppost. Lucy, she’s a child. In nymph years, she looks rather like a Daughter of Eve in your age group, but truthfully, she is still quite young. There are certain things about her that born Narnians would recognize immediately. She seemed troubled, but after we had spoken for a time, her mother approached and practically dragged her away, I could suddenly understand why.”

Lucy looked at her friend and nodded. “Is that the reason why you intended on running away?”

“No, that was for another reason,” he said.

“What reason?”

“Fear,” he admitted, his voice laced in sadness. “I became afraid after I saw my old teacher last night and he was quite cross with me.”

“I don’t follow, what does your old teacher have to do with any of this?” Lucy asked.

“He said that Angelina comes from a family of traitors. Her father’s name is Johann and the word going around Lantern Waste was that he was the one who betrayed my father to the White Witch. I found this out through the writings of my father, and for whatever reason, my teacher knew the rumors and wanted to protect me from them. Everything he said was accurate, down to every last detail.”

He stood and extended his hand towards her. She accepted and allowed him to lead her to a bookshelf. Once they reached it, he released her hand and began to wordlessly pull the books down from it, and stacked them on the floor in front of it. Lucy watched until the shelf had been completely emptied. Once it was, he motioned with his hand for her to reach into the depths of the emptied shelf. She did as he indicated, her hand abruptly hitting a wooden panel against the back side of the shelf. She stared at it for several minutes not sure what to think, and then spoke. “Mister Tumnus, I don’t understand. What does all this mean?” She asked as she pulled her hands away.

“If you look closely, you’ll see a secret compartment in the shelf. When I was arrested, the shelf was left awry, but they obviously didn’t look close enough because the section was still intact when I returned.” To emphasize his point, Tumnus pulled a flat piece of wood out of the shelf. “Now look inside,” he instructed.

Lucy did as he instructed and pretty soon her gaze came to rest on a small stack of papers that were stored there. “That’s brilliant!”

“Yes, my father built this into the shelf when I was young, and he told me that if there were any special papers or things that should be hidden, then this was the place for them to go. I didn’t really understand his words at the time, but after Jadis rose to power in Narnia, I realized that he had sensed from the start that something was about to happen. When you first came, it was just as the beavers had said; we had been waiting for you.”

He pulled the papers out of the compartment and taking a deep breath, he continued to speak. “Let us sit down and I will show you my father’s letters.” He carried them over to his chair and bade her to sit.

“You said that he had gone off to war, right?” she asked once they were both seated.

“Yes, he wrote me often from where he was, but never left a return address. I could never write him back, but I wanted to,” Tumnus said softly. “Today, I have many questions, but very few answers. Aslan saved my life; but there are countless others who were not so lucky, they either died or went missing. Missing because of Johann…” He shook his head sadly as he pulled a letter from the group of papers. “This was my last correspondence from my father.”

Lucy looked at the crumpled paper and from her point of reference; she could see small smeared places on it where she guessed that tears had fallen. She watched as he slowly and carefully opened the letter.

“This letter was brief, but it told me what I needed to know, what would keep me safe in a place tormented by endless winter,” Tumnus said softly as he began to read the letter aloud.

_My dear son,_

_It is with a heavy heart that I write you this today. I do not know what will come of this letter, but I hope that when you receive it, you will know what to do with it. I would further hope that my words to you this day will not betray you or leave you exposed to danger. Before I left home, I could never fully understand the fear you carry towards her, and you know of whom I speak._

_I offer a warning to you, there do exist betrayers all over the wood. Even some of the trees stand on her side. I have also discovered, in the harshest manner known to exist, that our brother creatures have betrayed us in our quest for freedom. My long time friend, Johann has led a group of us into danger, and this may be the last letter you ever receive from me. Trust is a lovely thing, but it is during this time that caution is what can save your life in Narnia._

_You are my son, Tumnus, you will always be my son and I shall always be proud of you, but if we never see one another again, then I beg you to please take my words to heart. There are betrayers are all around us, those who claim to be your friend will not always be that. You are wise to have chosen peace over this tragedy._

_Love,  
Your father_

“That’s beautiful,” Lucy said softly as he stopped reading and she looked at him. His face was now streaked with tears, and she finally understood where the smeared ink had come from. They had been manifest through the tears of her dearest friend.

“The next time I heard anything was when Aslan came and told me that my father was gone,” the faun whispered. “I never discovered what truly happened to him. I can only assume through his letter what must have happened. He and my mother were my only family, and she was murdered by the witch as well. It is for that reason that I cannot leave this cave and move into the other. There would be far too many regrets for me in doing so.”

“Then I was right when I told you that to leave this place would have been a mistake,” she said softly as she wound her arms gently around him. As soon as she held him, she continued to speak. “I know that you have cried for me, but have you at least grieved your father? Did you cry over all that you have lost?”

Tumnus raised his head as he slowly pulled himself out of her embrace. He stared down at the letter and shook his head as the tears continued to roll down his cheeks.

Lucy reached over at that moment and gently pried the letter from his hands so as to protect it from being further erased by the faun’s tears. “I denied ever believing that I was like my father, but now I wish I was. He was strong, brave, and confident, and I am not worthy to even walk in his shadow.”

“But you are,” Lucy said compassionately. “Your father emanated a sense of duty, of loyalty, and I believe he was brave and courageous as you say. But my dearest friend, you are all of these things you refuse to see yourself as being. It was your loyalty to our friendship that saved me from an uncertain future in the hands of the witch. You have become the most treasured and endeared friend that I have ever had. You must never stop believing that.”

She reached over and touched his face. This caused him to raise his head, and it was then that she could see that he was trying unsuccessfully to blink back the tears. She reached into the pocket of her dress and pulled out a handkerchief. The small piece of cloth she held was different than the one she had given him when they first met, but it carried the same softness. She carefully unfolded it and began to wipe his moist cheeks. As she felt the tears dampening the piece of cloth, she continued speaking, her consoling words literally embracing him. “Whether you believe it or not, you do have a kind face, just like your father.” Upon hearing these words, his weeping became louder. Taking a deep breath, she pulled his trembling body into her arms, his face meshing against her shoulder.

Once he regained some control over his emotions, he raised his head slowly and began to speak, his voice emerging as a barely audible whisper. “A-as a young faun, I remember seeing a group of creatures arrested by the witch’s secret police. Everywhere around Lantern Waste, the dryads, the nymphs and even some of the trees were saying that they were just rumors. They weren’t, I saw it happen, but I could not come forward and verify it. I was too afraid.” He shook his head. “It was at that moment that I truly understood what my father was trying to tell me. I had no choice but to be careful.” He paused before taking a deep and staggering breath. “Do you remember the night you left the lamppost the first time we met?”

“Yes, you told me that you hadn’t felt such warmth in over a hundred years. After that happened, I reflected on how much those words meant to me,” she smiled weakly. “I also wondered how old you were since you said a hundred years, but then later it no longer mattered to me. I knew that I had never felt so cared for and loved as I did at that moment.”

“After you were gone, I stood watching as you disappeared between the trees. Slowly, I made my way back home, and when I arrived, the cave felt so empty. I cried over what I had done, but I knew that you were safe and that filled my heart with joy.” He lowered his head as he continued to speak. “If Angelina’s father did betray my father, then why would Aslan request that she stay here? It pains me to think that the daughter of the one who brought such sadness and grief to so many lies in the very next room. That is the reason why I wanted to run away.”

“Perhaps Aslan wishes for you to make peace with your past through her presence,” she said softly. “You have such a forgiving heart; you forgave my brother for having betrayed you. Can you even begin to imagine forgiving Angelina’s father for having betrayed your father?”

“That is much more difficult, I’m afraid,” he admitted weakly. “What happened to me was quite insignificant in comparison to what happened to my father…”

“…Your father, if he was as noble as you say, would have forgiven Johann,” Lucy said gently. “But, to blame Angelina for her father’s transgressions would be like blaming me for Edmund’s and I know that you would never do that.”

Tumnus glanced towards the room where Angelina was sleeping. “You’re right,” he said as he looked back at her. “I do not know what to do,” he confessed softly.

Lucy looked at her friend. “Oh my dear Mister Tumnus, we’re in this together. We can both help Angelina get better. You can take a few days and come back with me to Cair Paravel if that will help.”

Tumnus nodded and reached over and rested his hand on hers. “Thank you, dearest Queen Lucy.”

The young queen nodded and smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

At the same time Lucy was sitting in Tumnus’ cozy cave, discussing Angelina’s situation, the other three Narnian monarchs had met in the stateroom at Cair Paravel to discuss another pressing matter. Lucy had run off once again, this time leaving only a small letter in her wake, and the eldest of her siblings, the High King, was frowning.

“She was supposed to meet a prince this afternoon for a possible bond of alliance,” he grumbled. “She has known of this meeting for weeks now.”

“You are trying to force her to marry someone, Peter. In good conscience, you cannot do that,” Susan complained. “Besides, shall I remind you that while you talk about marrying her off, you’re still without a bride yourself? All of this talk coming from someone who would rather be out fencing and riding than inside getting dressed for a ball.”

“This is government, Su, it’s a part of ruling,” he objected.

“Government,” Susan said the word as though if faced with a choice, she would have preferred coming down with an incurable disease.

“Excuse me, I don’t wish to interrupt your argument here,” Edmund said as he looked at his two elder siblings. “Lucy’s well being is in question here, not whether or not she wants to go on dates.” The younger of the Pevensie brothers arched an eyebrow at the thought and Susan could not help but nervously laugh.

“Ed, I know you’re right,” she laughed. As her lighthearted mirth dissolved, she looked into the dark eyes of her brother and could tell that something he had said had made a good deal of sense. “You’re not usually telling nervous jokes unless something is the matter. What is it? Does it have anything to do with Lucy’s disappearing from Cair Paravel?”

Edmund nodded as he broke contact with his sister and walked over to a window. Taking a deep and resigned breath, he began to speak. “Two nights ago, Lucy and I were talking about Mister Tumnus. I think she’s been trying for years to find out what really happened to us when we were prisoners of the White Witch. Something inside of me thought she was ready to know. Well, one thing led to another and I found myself telling her everything. I told her what had happened to me, but then it drifted to when I met Mister Tumnus in the dungeon, right down to what happened after he had been dragged away. I was forced to the witch’s sledge and saw him that last time, as a statue. The expression on his face was one of agony and fear, as if he had been screaming when she performed her evil magic on him. I could tell that he had been terrified, and this knowing went straight to my soul. I spoke with him about the experience several weeks after the coronation. He forgave me, but neither of us told Lucy about it until two nights ago when I finally did. She looked as though she was going to break down and cry. I could see the guilt in her eyes, probably because she has not seen him in such a long time. I can only surmise that all these expectations and responsibilities were robbing her from being in the presence of her very best friend.”

“That’s completely understandable,” Susan said. “Mister Tumnus has been the most loyal friend to her.” 

“Yes, I know, but I shouldn’t have told her everything that had happened, it was wrong of me, and now – now she’s gone,” he said.

“You knew that she was old enough, Ed, and she would have eventually found out, if not from you, then from Mister Tumnus himself,” Susan rationalized.

“Yes,” Peter agreed. “Such secrets cannot be kept for long, and Mister Tumnus was probably just as aware of it as you were.” The High King took a deep breath as they fell into companionable silence. Like his siblings, the eldest still referred to the faun as ‘Mister Tumnus’ instead of simply referring to him by his given name.

When nothing else was said for several minutes, he broke the silence. “You cannot blame yourself for this.”

“But I do, even after that long talk with Aslan. A part of me still wonders if I can be trusted in such important matters,” Edmund said. “I hurt so many people, and I keep doing it, but this time it wasn’t intended!”

Susan looked at her brothers. “Lucy left right after you told her about what happened. Ed, she would have done that regardless of how she found out. You know that she is very spontaneous, but she is also cautious and brave. I simply think that she knows how to handle herself out there. After all, we’ve been in Narnia long enough to know how to adequately defend ourselves. We can’t continue treating her like a little girl, because she’s not one anymore and it probably bothers her that we still do that now and again. She’s nearly nineteen and Peter, when you were nineteen, you were running crazy, joining Mr. Beaver in the woods for hunts with the centaurs. I remember all too well how Mrs. Beaver would frantically come into the throne room, looking for her husband, and how we had to tell her that he was out and about with the High King and that Aslan only knew what you were up to. That really went over well with her, if I may be so bold as to say.”

“Alright, I concede, but…the thing that concerns me is not about her age, but the fact that she didn’t take her cordial with her. She won’t be able to heal anyone if they get injured,” Peter said rationally. “I know she can take care of herself, but…well, I’ve been hearing rumors about the witch’s supporters lurking about Narnia again. I’m starting to wonder if we should take some action in that regard. We should at least try and round up whoever is left of them.”

“Perhaps you’re right,” Edmund offered freely, “but I bet that we all know exactly where she went, and we don’t need the note to reach that conclusion.”

“What does that letter say?” Peter asked pointedly. He had heard from his sister that the letter existed, but had yet to inquire what Lucy had written.

“She said that she was going to see Mr. Tumnus,” Susan said. “Now, seeing as he is not in his cave along the west wall of Cair Paravel, then I would say that she took her horse and made the trip to Lantern Waste.”

“She took her horse?” Peter asked. “It would take her at least a day and a half to get there if she stops to rest at night.”

Edmund nodded. “Well, Philip told me the whole story yesterday afternoon, but when I checked the stables this morning, Lucy’s horse had returned.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I guess winged horses have that advantage for getting from one place to the other. When I asked Charlemagne if Lucy had grown accustomed to flying yet, she shook her head and said no. Lucy’s not yet used to flying on a horse. I guess she’s alright with lions, but not with horses.” He grinned, his eyes shining brightly as he continued. “Anyway, I was told that Lucy had been safely brought to Mr. Tumnus’ cave early this morning. Once she was certain of that, Charlemagne left to return here.”

Peter took a deep breath. “It’s all fine and good, but I don’t like the idea of her being in Lantern Waste right now, especially with all of these rumors flying about. I heard from one of the centaurs that a family there has strong bonds to the witch and remain loyal to her. I’m going to send General Oreius there to survey what is happening. He and a few of his men are scheduled to leave after lunch. I still need to meet with him for the finite details of the trip.”

“Are you going to have them check in on Lucy?” Susan asked.

Peter nodded. “You know I have to. She ran away, Su.”

“Perhaps, but she is of age, and should have the right to decide,” she said as she regarded both of her brothers with concern.

Edmund looked at Peter. “So, what is your plan?”

“I don’t think we should panic at this point,” Peter said. “Just because I plan to send General Oreius there does not mean that he will find traitors in Lantern Waste. I also don’t believe that he will breathe down Lucy’s neck about any of this, but he can at least let us know that she’s alright. Perhaps he can also inquire as to when she plans to return.”

“I agree,” Edmund said.

“I know you both are knighted by Aslan and are great Narnian heroes, but Lucy is smart, she’s grown up, and she’s with her best friend. Why does she need a chaperone? Mister Tumnus will not let anything happen to her. He demonstrated his undying loyalty to her when he put his life on the line all those years ago. Or have you forgotten?”

Edmund listened to his sister’s words and unconsciously, he swallowed and looked at Peter as the implications of these words literally washed over him. “Do you think that… there could be more there than just a friendship there? I know that Lucy has never even shown the slightest bit of interest in suitors, so maybe it’s just me thinking aloud.”

“Oh Ed, I seriously doubt it. Mister Tumnus is over a hundred, and Lucy…well, by comparison, she’s still a child to him,” Peter rationalized. “Besides, she knows where her loyalties ought to lie.” 

Susan had heard enough. “Her loyalties are to Narnia; Peter, but you are making her sound like a pawn in a chess game. If she feels something for Mister Tumnus, then it is not wrong; it is simply about her feelings. You cannot force love onto another person, and it doesn’t matter if you’re a king or peasant; rich or poor. Love is simply love, and there is nothing wrong or immoral about it. Furthermore, you must realize that Lucy and I are two different people. I may like to have a prince woo and flatter me, but Lucy is not the kind of person who would find that to be pleasurable. You have to trust her.”

Peter released a pent up sigh. “Am I really doing that?” He looked at his sister.

“Yes, you are, and sending General Oreius to look in on her may be interpreted as a sign that you don’t trust her,” Susan said.

“Perhaps what might help would be if we ask General Oreius to bring Lucy’s gift to her. Then there hopefully won’t be that tension existing,” Edmund suggested.

“Jolly good, Ed,” Peter said, and went to the door. Standing outside was a guard, as well as a young dryad page by the name of Xavier. “Would you mind terribly doing something for me?” He directed his question to the guard.

“Of course, Your Majesty,” he responded with a bow. “Anything you wish.”

“I need you to send for General Oreius,” Peter said. “He should be making ready to go to Lantern Waste later today.”

“Right away, but who shall stand guard?” the guard asked, all the while cocking his head to one side.

“Not to worry. We’ll be alright for a time without a guard. We’re about to adjourn to the throne room anyway. Please, have General Oreius come and meet with us there,” he instructed.

“As you wish, Sire,” he nodded and bowed before taking his leave.

The High King returned his attention to the room. “Now that that’s been settled, when Oreius gets to the throne room, we can give him the cordial.”

Susan looked at her brother. “I don’t feel right about this, Peter. It feels rather like we are meddling in Lucy’s affairs. She is the youngest, yes, but she is also grown up, and must be treated as such,” she paused for a moment. “I do still have one question, though.”

“What’s that?” Peter asked.

“Why did she take her dagger and not the cordial with her? Generally she never goes anywhere without either one,” Susan said. “The dagger was not in the usual spot, but the cordial is still on the table next to her bed.”

“That is strange,” Edmund mused with a nod, but he looked at his brother. “What do you think?”

“I don’t really know, but Susan made a good point. Something is not adding up here, and I think that the only way we will be able to find out is to talk this over with Lucy in person,” Peter said as they stood up and were leaving the room. As they came out into the corridor, the High King noticed that the page was still standing outside in the corridor and he walked over to him. “Xavier, could you please do something for me?”

“Yes, of course, Your Majesty,” the page whispered, bowing humbly. “I am but here to serve. What do you wish of me?”

“I know it sounds rather out of character, but could you please go to Queen Lucy’s room and retrieve her bottle with the cordial?” He asked. “She keeps it on a desk next to her bed, but I believe that you are familiar with it.”

“Yes, of course, Her Majesty used it during the battle against the White Witch and saved my life with it,” he said with a nod. “But I must still inquire, is it allowable for me to enter her Majesty’s private rooms?”

“Of course, I will grant that allowance,” Peter said. “If anyone inquires, then send them to me straight away and I shall explain my rationale for having you fulfill this particular task. Once you have the cordial, please bring it to the throne room.”

Xavier nodded, and with a final bow, he made his way down the corridor as the three monarchs started to make their way in the opposite direction.

Susan was still feeling rather indignant about her older brother’s actions, but now Edmund was also playing along with it. At that moment, Susan could fully understand why her younger sister had decided to flee from the castle in the first place. Instead of speaking further about how frustrated she felt, she wordlessly followed her brothers down the hall.

~~~~~~

From the direction that they had come, not one of the three Narnian monarchs nor the page noticed that hiding near the door leading into the stateroom, a dark skinned nymph named Bettina stood. As she watched them disappearing around the corner, she glanced down and stared at the small object she held tightly in her fist. Raising her head she smiled evilly as her hate-filled gaze stared after them.

“Jadis, the true Queen of Narnia, will be avenged,” she hissed under her breath as she stared down at the object she held. This was a small bottle with a wine red colored liquid inside. “This so called Queen Lucy will never get the real cordial back,” she laughed as she pulled the lid off and poured a drop of the substance onto the large potted plant that was growing against the wall next to where she was standing. Seconds passed and without warning, the once healthy and leafy green plant had turned a murky shade of brown before crumpling to ash before her very eyes.

_This would be the desired revenge,_ she thought. All her people would regard her as the nymph who overturned the kings and queens of Narnia with one simple act. She returned the lid to the bottle. Once she made the switch, Lucy would be given the wrong cordial and eventually try to use it.

She began to slink her way down the corridor in the direction of Lucy’s bedchamber. As she came closer to the door, she noticed that Xavier was still standing several feet from it; the page obviously shy about entering a room belonging to a woman.

_What a shy, timid, and bashful fool,_ she thought as she watched him reach out and wrap his hand around the door handle. As abruptly as he touched it, he lowered it again, his intended action abruptly stopped. She could not tell what thoughts were going through the dryad’s mind, but it seemed perfectly obvious that he was intimidated by what he was trying to do. She watched as he started to make his way back down the corridor.

_Where is he going?_ She asked herself, but when he was several feet away from the door, she slowly walked with padded steps towards the entrance. She cast one final glance around before opening the door and slipping, undetected into the room.

As she came inside, she carefully closed the door and walked over to the bed. Stopping momentarily, she cast a hesitant glance around the empty room before centering her thoughts on the task at hand.

Next to her, the four-poster bed was neatly made and a dressing gown was draped casually over one of the pillows. In the windows, the drapes hung, the thick fabric halfway covering the large windows. The smell of fresh linens and light traces of lilac flavored soap filled her nostrils as she released a pent up sigh.

The room was quite different than Queen Susan’s room. While the elder of the two sisters preferred elaborate decorations and elegance, Lucy preferred casual and simple things like a cozy table set for tea. Lucy never grew tired of extending invitations of tea and cake to those who were servants in the castle. In fact, she preferred conversations with the staff over the pomp and circumstance of welcoming dignitaries. While her three siblings carried a regal and sophisticated essence, there was nothing outwardly majestic about Lucy Pevensie. If there was, she did whatever she could to conceal it. Her relaxed personality ultimately left her siblings to make the request that her privacy be respected and that no one enter her chamber without allowance.

Returning her thoughts to the present, Bettina shuffled her way across the room, her feet rubbing against the carpeted floor. She inhaled, all the while grateful that the younger of the two Narnian queens did not wear perfumes and other scents that normally tickled her nose. This was one of the distinguishing characteristics of the two young queens. Susan had a large vanity table with makeup and perfumes scattered across it, whereas Lucy used her table for small knick-knacks as well as a fine porcelain tea set.

She continued to scan her surroundings and when she finally spotted what she had come in for, a sly smile spread across her face. The bottle with the cordial had been placed on the wooden table next to the bed. Slowly, she approached and with a fluid motion, she switched the real cordial with the bottle she carried.

As soon as she held the real gift in her hand, she could feel a strange sensation starting to fill her mind and heart; all of which were a powerful mix of magic, hate, and domination. She walked brusquely back towards the door. Before she could reach out and touch it, she suddenly could see that the silver lever was moving. Gasping, she quickly scrambled over to the dark burgundy colored drapes and managed to conceal herself completely behind them as the door opened and someone entered the room.

She peered out from behind the thick fabric and could see that Xavier had finally gunned up the courage to actually enter to room. The dryad seemed very uncomfortable in this place because he ran quickly to the bedside table, snatched up the bottle, and made a very hasty exit. As he closed the door behind him, she released a pent up sigh and started to shove the drapes aside before creeping out from behind them.

Figuring herself to be safe, she now started towards the door, but her mouth fell open when she suddenly heard two clicking sounds from just outside. She reached out and gripped the handle and pressed down on it. The door did not budge and she swore under her breath. Apparently, Xavier had locked it from the outside when he had left, and now she was trapped inside Queen Lucy’s bedchamber.

She took a deep breath as she went over and sat down on the bed. There was no logical explanation for this, but her thoughts shifted when she felt the bottle that rest in the pocket of her tunic. Lucy may be getting the wrong bottle with the cordial inside very soon, she thought, but the minute the young queen tries to use it, the truth would be revealed. The young queen as well as anyone else in the vicinity will figure out that a switch had been made. It would only be a matter of time before they discovered Bettina’s role in all of this. Through that, it was quite possible that she would loose everything she held dear as a result of this one choice.

The intensity of this situation flooded over her and she was left feeling as though her very life force was slowly being drained out of her. The young nymph carried a terrible fear of being trapped in confined spaces, and now this fear had become her reality. In this state, she was vulnerable to everyone and everything, but lucky for her, very few people knew of this.

Seconds seemed to pass in slow motion and she glanced up and noticed that along the back wall was a beautiful row of pane glass windows, which had partially been concealed by the drapes that covered them. These windows extended all along one side of the room and provided a panorama view of the distant mountains that extended along the side wall of the castle.

Without hesitating, the nymph stood up and made her way over to the windows and tried without success at opening one of them. What happened next, however, took her completely aback and she was left stumbling backwards. Instead of seeing the glass window or the mountains, she could only see the face of Aslan. The mighty lion was looking into the room from the outside, his body weight seeming to hover in midair. She rubbed her eyes thinking that this was a dream and slowly got to her feet. Approaching the window a second time, she could suddenly feel the lion’s warm breath on her and she fell backwards. Scrambling onto her hands and knees, she crawled towards the footboard of the large bed.

Glancing up once again, she watched as the noble lion appeared in the room and was looking down at her through shining and humbling golden eyes. “You are a traitor to all that is good and noble in Narnia,” he growled.

“L-leave me in peace,” she stammered as she looked up at him. Her voice etched with hate, her yellow eyes filled with fury and terror as they regarded him.

“Peace will never find you, not as long as you are trapped in this room. You have stolen and kept something that is not rightfully yours,” Aslan spoke, his voice soft but intense like thunder. “You are just a child, and yet, you have made the grown up choice of stealing and bringing undue harm to others for selfish reasons.”

“I am not a child,” she shouted all the while trying to conceal her terror.

“You are a child. You were given many gifts, but you chose to give your devotion and loyalty to the one who took everything away from your ancestors without so much as a thought,” he said. “Jadis was the embodiment of evil, Bettina, and you are walking the very same path as she. You are following her, and in doing so, you are turning away from those who have shown you the good that dwells within you. You have forfeited the compassion that emanates you as well as the morals your people have carried for many a season since the dawn of time.”

“W-what do you care?” she asked.

“I do care, perhaps more than you can even begin to imagine,” Aslan affirmed. “I know that you were not yet born when the witch attempted to rule Narnia. You cannot possibly remember what happened during that time as you were not yet here. Even if you had been told something about it; the words you believed were not the truth. Those who have told you these untruths have jaded and made you into something that you are not. The witch, Jadis was the one who harmed and killed many of our people; she was the one who turned your own parents into stone. Later, the present Kings and Queens entered into Narnia and helped to free it from her grasp. Through their presence, I was called to their aid. Today, the witch is dead and can pose no further physical threat to this world, but those like you, who follow her lead, can.”

Bettina looked at him. “If she was so bad, then where were you when all these terrible things were supposedly happening here? If there really was a hundred years of winter, and if you really are the king of the wood, as people said, then where were you?”

Aslan took a step closer to her, but she backed away and wedged herself even closer to the foot of the bed. This caused him to stop his intended path. “Child, I came when word reached me that there was trouble here. I came to offer my help to those who fought for a free and joyous Narnia.”

Bettina touched the pocket where Lucy’s cordial rested and she bit down on her lip and looked up at him. “I don’t believe you.”

“Then all that is left for me to do is to wait until you do,” he said, and with that, he stretched out on the soft rug and rested his head between his large paws. He looked, in this stance, rather like a very large house cat. After several moments, his eyes lazily closed, his presence blocking any attempt she might have made at reaching the window.

She turned and looked back at the door and crawling on her hands and knees, she started towards it, but his voice made her stop cold and she turned back around to see that he had opened his eyes and raised his head somewhat. “The door is locked. On my command, Xavier locked it from the outside. There is no way for you to get out.”

Bettina looked at him. “You knew everything that happened then?” She asked, her voice wavering. Eventually, she bit down on her lip as she felt the resentment envelop her.

Aslan raised his head. “You’d be surprised at what I do know, Daughter of the Forest,” he said and she glanced back at the door.

“Someone will come to open the door, though,” she affirmed hotly. “Queen Lucy will not stay away for long, she will return to Cair Paravel.”

“You’re right, but she may not come to this room as quickly as you might assume. She seems to have found sanctuary with someone whom she cares deeply for and her interest in coming back to this place has waned drastically,” he said.

“What do you mean?” she asked, her voice losing some of its energy.

“I mean that she will be spending her time in the company of someone she loves. She and her betrothed will receive my blessing, and that means that this room shall remain empty for an unknown period of time.” He paused, but looked at her, his expression unchanging. “You stand at the threshold of making a choice, Bettina; either you return to me what you have stolen and attempt to make right the wrongs you have done, or you remain trapped in this room with me until someone discovers your presence here. If that comes to pass, you will be sent to the dungeons of this castle to live out the rest of your days. I do know of your fears of being stuck in tight spaces, and the dungeon is quite a bit more confining than this room is. I shall wait for you to make up your mind and contrary to what you may believe about me, I do have all the time in the world to await your answer.”

The nymph swallowed but lowered her head, no words emerging. At this moment, she knew that regardless of what she tried, the noble lion had indeed trapped her.

~~~~~

After receiving the strange instructions from Aslan, Xavier, unbeknownst to what was taking place inside Lucy’s bedchamber, made his way down the corridor with the bottle that he had been sent to retrieve.

When he finally reached the throne room, he knew that the High King would be waiting for him to come. The dryad truly loved his task at the castle. It was such a bright and cheerful place to live, especially since the Pevensies had been ruling. Each of the four was different, but they all encompassed a kindness that filled him with honor in being able to serve.

He cradled the small bottle as he walked, but something suddenly caught his eye. In the corridor, he approached what appeared to be a dead plant. Instead of paying it undue attention, the young dryad continued in the direction of the throne room. He simply had no way of knowing that the bottle he carried was filled with poison and had been used to kill the plant that he had been eyeing. He swallowed and continued to make his way down the hall until he reached the throne room.

He entered the large, open room and noticed that General Oreius was already present and was deep in conversation with the two kings. Upon hearing his approach, King Peter turned and upon spotting him, motioned with his hand for the dryad to step forward.

He smiled weakly and bowed once he had reached them. “Your Majesty, I have retrieved Queen Lucy’s bottle with the cordial as you requested.”

“That took you quite awhile,” Edmund remarked. The younger of the two kings carried an understanding smile and the young dryad relaxed somewhat. He could tell that neither of them appeared angry with him about the slow and casual manner in which he carried out their instructions.

“I wasn’t so sure about going inside,” he offered honestly. “My apologies, but after I retrieved the cordial, I saw Aslan,” Xavier admitted as he handed the object to the High King. “I was not sure if I was dreaming or if it was real, but he was in the corridor and he told me that I ought to lock the door into Her Majesty’s chamber. Of course, I did as he requested.”

“That was right of you, but still that is rather strange,” Peter said, but looked at General Oreius. “Do you have any idea why Aslan would make such a request?”

“None that I know of, Sire,” the centaur answered. “I would think that it would not be so problematic, seeing as Aslan most likely affirmed to Xavier that he knew specifically what he was doing.”

“Did he say anything else to you?” Peter asked looking at the young page.

“No Sire, he said that I should lock the door and that he would take care of what needed tending, but that was all,” Xavier said with a shrug of his shoulders. “I followed this order and then came back here.” Bashfully, the dryad looked away from the piercing eyes of the two kings.

Queen Susan approached the group and looked at her brothers. “I still am not so certain that I approve the two of you imposing on Lucy’s privacy like this. Need I remind you that she is nearly nineteen years old?”

“We’ve already discussed this, Su,” Peter looked at his sister and put his hands on his hips trying all the while to shove his authority onto her. “I understand your concern about her privacy. Yet, the fact remains that Lucy has irresponsibly snuck beyond the borders of Cair Paravel and has done so without her cordial. At any given moment she could very well find herself in peril and need it. You remember the rumors about an uprising circulating around Cair Paravel, as well as throughout Narnia. This simply does not help matters in the slightest.” He looked at General Oreius and took a deep breath. “General, I want you to go to Lantern Waste and check in on Lucy. She is most likely at the home of Mister Tumnus, the faun whom she has been friends with for years. I need you to find out how she is doing and if there is something going on between the two of them.”

“Peter, Mister Tumnus is her friend,” Susan objected.

“As I said,” the High King said firmly, ignoring his sister’s objections. “See if you can find out if there is anything happening between them that should not be taking place.”

“Sire?” the centaur was clearly confused by this command and he shook his head.

“He means that he wants you to spy on Lucy and Mister Tumnus and see if they are involved with one another,” Susan supplied, her voice emerging more or less as a sigh.

“I will do my best to find out, but excuse me if I try to do this as unobtrusively as possible,” General Oreius said with a cordial nod in the direction of the High King.

“You might try using her Christmas gift as rationale for paying them a visit,” Edmund said. He glanced over and could see that Susan had crossed her arms over her chest and had started towards the door leading outside.

“If Lucy gets angry, and I’ve no doubt that she will, make sure I had no part in this,” Susan said, her parting words cross. Swinging the door open, she breezed through it and allowed it to close behind her.

“Girls,” the eldest of the kings grumbled under his breath.

“With all due respect, Your Majesty, Queen Susan and Queen Lucy are young ladies and no longer girls,” Oreius said.

Peter nodded as he dropped the small glass bottle into the hand of the centaur. “You have your orders, General,” he said. “Will you require a larger group of men to assist you?”

“I shall not require any further assistance, Your Majesty. My men would be better suited to remain at Cair Paravel. I intend to make this trip as quickly as possible and hopefully, considering the terrain, will return by late tomorrow evening.”

Peter nodded as he and Edmund left the throne room. General Oreius was left alone. He slid the item into the bag he carried and made his way out of the room with the intentions of retrieving the provisions he would require for the trip.

As he came outside, Queen Susan approached him. “General?”

“Yes?” he spoke, his voice different than it had been inside the throne room. Susan immediately noticed that some of the sternness of it was gone. It was obvious that when he was not carrying out his duty as a General in Aslan’s army, his voice was a kind sounding baritone. “How may I assist you, Your Majesty?”

Susan looked at him. “General, I cannot very easily tell you to omit going on this mission as I do not wish to go above either of my brothers’ heads. However, I would like to ask you to please handle this situation as if you had a sister who was growing into a young woman. I understand that you have your orders, but I say this because the manner in which you will address Lucy will determine how she will interact with us in the future. In other words, if you go in like a bull in a china closet…” 

“…I beg your pardon?” he asked, having never heard such a statement.

“I mean if you go in there demanding to know what my sister feels towards her friend, you may end up pushing her further away from all of us than intended,” Susan said softly. “I mean…”

“…You mean you have noticed a difference in her manner during the past weeks,” Oreius finished. “I can see that you are concerned for her.”

“Yes, but I don’t wish to push her into talking about it. I think it would be better if she simply tells us in her own time,” Susan said honestly. “I may like the whole idea of courting and enjoying myself with princes from far away lands, but I don’t think Lucy really enjoyed it all that much.”

“You noticed that?” Oreius asked. “I recognized it, but I was not certain if you or your brothers had.”

“I noticed a great deal because she’s my sister. She and I are different, but I care for her and I want to do what’s right. Between you and me, if what my brothers intend on doing to her was being done to me, then I’d probably have strung them up years ago.”

The centaur nodded with a slight smile at the queen’s bold statement. “Your Majesty, I shall do my very best to handle this mission with tact and compassion.”

“That’s all I ask.” Susan said and offered him a cordial smile. “I thank you for your understanding, General Oreius.”

The centaur nodded. “It is my mission to serve,” he said and looked at her. “I must go and retrieve some things for the journey. Please excuse me.”

Susan nodded. “I wish you a safe journey.”

Oreius bowed before he walked away from her. Once he had rounded a corner, he disappeared in the distance. 

As soon as he was gone, Susan rubbed her hands together before making her way down the hall in the direction of the large dining hall. It was nearly lunchtime and perhaps now that she had spoken with General Oreius, she would be able to eat something without feeling ill at ease about the decision her brothers had made.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

At the time all of these things were taking place at Cair Paravel, Lucy was still sitting in Tumnus’ cozy cave over tea, cake, and sardines. As she sat and licked the last of the butter from her fingers (which was not a very queenly thing to do), Tumnus smiled weakly as he regarded her and took note of her actions. “You don’t do that sort of thing in the castle,” he remarked, his observation diverting the focus of their conversation from the painful subject of his father to her non-existent table manners.

“I know, but I suppose it goes to show just how comfortable I feel here with you,” she said smiling at him, her eyes shining brightly. From the depths of them, a secret still seemed to be lurking, and although he noticed it, Tumnus was far too polite to pry.

He lowered his head, all the while remembering what had happened prior to them leaving the cave. _I dishonored her, and through that brought dishonor to myself,_ his thoughts were literally racing, but nothing was verbally said. Instead he wordlessly extended a plate with some pieces of cake to her.

After several minutes of awkward silence, Lucy finally took the incentive and spoke, her words almost emerging in the form of a command. “What’s the matter?” she asked, her voice breaking into his thoughts. The faun looked up as she continued to speak, her voice softening. “I know that you’re still sad about your father, I can feel it, but I can’t help but ponder if there is perhaps something else bothering you. I’ve had this feeling since we found Angelina earlier today.”

“Nothing is wrong, Lucy, I’m perfectly alright, I fear I’m just getting cranky in my old age,” he said smiling unconvincingly at her.

“Old age, but you’re not old,” Lucy said looking at him. “You’re the same faun I met all those years ago.” When he still said nothing, she took a deep breath. “Mister Tumnus, please tell me what is wrong.”

“Would you please stop calling me that?” he snapped, his harsh words emerging before he could stop them.

Lucy raised her head, the shock and hurt now evident in her unhappy eyes. “I don’t understand,” she began, not sure how to take his hostile sounding words. “Why are you so angry with me?”

When Tumnus did not respond, she simply shoved her plate away until it fell to the cave’s floor and broke in three pieces. Instead of collecting the shards of porcelain, she got to her feet and started to walk away from him, her eyes now brimming with unshed tears.

Tumnus watched her actions, all the while realizing that she was willing herself not to start crying. It seemed quite obvious that between the excitement of the morning and her apparent tiredness from having traveled much of the night, she was exhausted and trying to conceal it. Whatever the case, this behavior was not normal for her. She was strong and certain and only cried when she had a very good reason.

Ignoring the broken plate, he got to his hooves and made his way over to her. Reaching her, he rested one hand on her shoulder and watched as she wrung her hands together and kept her head lowered so that he would not see the devastation that had enveloped her.

It was clear that she was worried about him, but instead of speaking she broke her contact with him and started towards the door. Reaching it she started to open it, but was surprised when he followed her and gently closed the door. “We should talk,” he said softly.

Instead of responding to him verbally, she swallowed and nodded, but walked with weighted steps back in the direction of the bookshelf. Once she reached it, she turned back around to see that he had returned to the table and began to collect the pieces of the broken plate. Once he had finished, he wordlessly went over to a basin and discarded them.

Next to the bookshelf, Lucy continued to watch his actions out of the corner of her eye as she stubbornly wiped the last of the moisture away. Her gaze came to rest on the stacks of books that were still on the floor. She ran her hand along the smooth surface of the shelf and tried to read the spines of the books.

Seconds later, she felt his hand resting on her shoulder and she slowly turned around. 

“I’m sorry, it was wrong of me to get angry with you like that,” he said softly. “It will not happen again.”

“We have always been honest with each other, you have shared your troubles, and I have shared mine. I didn’t mean to pry into your private affairs. I-I just thought that…Oh I don’t know what I thought.” As she spoke, she kept her head lowered but using her hand she tried to make a final swipe at getting rid of the tears that were now streaming effortlessly down her cheeks. “I was only trying to be polite.”

“I know,” the faun conceded softly. “I believe it was the same as when I was trying to assist you when we were leaving earlier. It was perhaps unwarranted, but it was with the sincerest of intentions. I wanted to protect you from what may have been out there because neither of us knew what could have happened.”

“You were hurt by that?” she asked.

“I felt as though I had lost my honor somehow,” he admitted softly. “I am perhaps more sensitive than most with regard to matters of this kind, but I did fear for your safety and well being.”

As these words filled her ears, she could feel the love that Tumnus felt for her, and this, if anything, made her want to confess everything that she was feeling. Before she could open her mouth and begin speaking, however, an abrupt scream interrupted them and they both quickly stood and made a beeline straight for the sleeping room.

As they came into the room the first thing they noticed was that Angelina was awake and looking around the room urgently. She had pulled the covers up against her neck; her knuckles white, and her hands trembling unconsciously.

For her part, Lucy approached and bunched up her skirts before managing to sit down on the edge of the bed. “Are you alright?” She asked softly, her voice etched with concern.

“W-where am I?” Angelina whispered as Tumnus appeared in the doorway, but hesitantly came closer and offered her a weak smile.

“You’re in my cave,” the faun responded guardedly. When he attempted to smile at her, Lucy could tell that it was forced. Upon hearing his now familiar voice, she relaxed somewhat.

A pair of green eyes eventually came to rest on Lucy. “You…” the nymph pointed to the human woman and shook her head. “…It’s not possible.”

Instead of responding to these words, Lucy looked back over at Tumnus. “Perhaps you can bring her a cup of tea and some cake?”

Tumnus nodded all the while grateful for an excuse to leave the nymph and quickly made his way back to the sitting room. “Of course, I’ll bring some.”

Lucy nodded as he took his leave but she looked down at the nymph. “Don’t be afraid, you’re safe here and I promise no one will hurt you. My name is Lucy Pevensie, what’s yours?”

“Y-you’re Queen Lucy, the Valiant,” Angelina whispered as she licked her dry lips.

“Yes, that is what some call me,” she managed, her voice filled with traces of hesitancy. Contrary to her discomfort at hearing that name once again, she smiled warmly at Angelina.

“I’m honored to make your acquaintance, Your Majesty,” she said and lowered her head humbly.

Lucy reached over and touched her face, the simple action making her raise her head. “Please, just call me ‘Lucy’,” she began as she looked around the room for a basin and washcloth. “You’re burning up, you should lie back down.”

Angelina shook her head. “I’m fine.”

“No, you’re very sick,” Lucy said gently. “But, we’re going to help you get better.”

“Your Majesty…” she began.

Lucy shook her head this time. “Please, I don’t wish to be addressed formally at the moment, and you still haven’t told me your name.” Of course she already knew the young nymph’s name, but this was a tactic that she had long since grown accustomed to using as a means to help others relax in her presence. The last thing she really wanted was for Angelina to react to her as so many others had done in the past. The young queen wanted to be ‘Lucy’, and to enjoy her time in Lantern Waste without being overwhelmed with queenly duties or remarks.

“My name is Angelina,” she said softly.

“That’s such a pretty name, it comes from the word ‘angel’, as in a heavenly being,” Lucy said smiling.

“I must have been wrongly named, then,” the nymph offered as she gingerly touched her bruised forehead and moaned. Seconds later, she shifted on the bed and tried to once again sit up. Eventually, overcome with pain and weariness, she gave up, sank back against the pillows, and closed her eyes.

“Don’t try to move too much, you’ve been hurt, and from the looks of it, pretty severely,” Lucy said compassionately as her thoughts turned to the bottle with the cordial that she had unintentionally left in her room back at Cair Paravel. Instead of dwelling on the forgotten healing substance, she continued speaking, her next words emerging in the form of a question. “Can you tell me what specifically happened to you? How did you end up getting injured like this?”

“It is not so important,” Angelina whispered as she licked her dry lips and shook her head, hoping that Lucy’s line of questioning would eventually shift, but much to her disappointment, it did not.

“Someone mentioned to me that your father…” Lucy began, but her words faded when she could suddenly hear Angelina’s voice interrupting her, the nymph despondently beginning to cry openly.

“…I don’t know anything, please don’t arrest me,” she pleaded her outburst clearly taking Lucy aback and the young queen reached over and rested her hand on Angelina’s shoulder.

“I’m not going to arrest you, Angelina, but none of this makes any sense to me,” Lucy said urgently. “I saw Aslan just before we brought you here. When we found you, you had lost consciousness and he was sitting on the ground next to you, all the while making sure that no one else would hurt you. For him to do that must be a sign that you are important to him as well as to Narnia. You see, my presence here is to but serve Aslan. He is the true King of Narnia, not I. I guess the best way to put it is, my brothers, sister, and I were entrusted the job.” She smiled as she reached over and brushed a lock of hair out from the nymph’s pale face. “Now tell me what happened.”

“Those two Centaurs, they wanted to…” she whispered.

“Is that who bound your wrists?” Lucy asked.

Angelina nodded numbly, shame suddenly shadowing her features. “I was coming here to visit Tumnus, he had spoken with me last evening and…” her voice trailed off as she watched as a shadow crossed the young queen’s face. When no words emerged, the nymph shook her head sadly. “I only wished to speak with him. He was the only one at the festivities last night who even noticed that I was there. Then this morning, I ran away from home. Your M…uh I mean, Lucy, I was hoping that there was someone in Narnia who could help me.”

“Help you?” Lucy asked. “I don’t understand.”

“It is hard for me to explain,” Angelina admitted sadly.

“Then you don’t have to, but do tell me one thing, is that why you ran away?” Lucy whispered, her question soft, but her words firm, almost matter-of-fact.

Angelina nodded. “Yes, my mother was angry with me, and when she is angry, then she does things,” Angelina confessed sadly as a shudder cursed through her.

“Then it was she who initially harmed you,” Lucy concluded.

“She…she thought that I was going to betray them.”

“Why would you betray them?” Lucy asked, but when Angelina looked away, she nodded. “I understand, the word going around the wood is that your father worked for the White Witch in some capacity, but I can clearly see that you are not like that.”

“You don’t understand,” she objected nervously. “Tumnus has every right in the world to hate me. My family has brought him sadness and grief, I cannot deny it. For me to be here must be dreadfully painful for him.”

“I don’t think he hates you, he’s hurting because of the love he has for his own father. He knows you’re a victim of circumstance,” Lucy said gently. “There is not a hateful bone in his body, he is the most loving and compassionate creature in all of Narnia. I know, because he did so much to help and protect me when I was little. He would never hate anyone.”

Angelina shook her head. “I’m not worthy of anyone’s love, and yet you have both helped me. And Aslan…”

“…Aslan must have known what he was doing when he protected you. He knows and sees all that has come about here,” the young queen said smiling gently. As she spoke, she could hear the sounds of Tumnus’ steps and soon he appeared in the doorway. In his hand, he carried a cup and saucer.

The faun took a hesitant step towards the bed and placed the object on the bedside table. “Here’s your tea, Angelina,” he offered softly. He had heard what Lucy said about him and this caused him to blush. At that moment, he was extremely grateful for the darkness that concealed this.

Lucy turned her head to watch as he retrieved a small chair and pulled it over to the bed and seated himself. “What do you think we should do?” She eventually asked allowing her question to fade because she was no longer certain as to how to address him. As this awkward silence filled the room, they waited for Tumnus to respond.

“I-I really do not know,” he whispered after several moments. “I believe that you must first recover your strength Angelina, but I cannot say with certainty what will come next.”

“You wish me to be gone, is that not so?” the nymph asked as she raised her head and her gaze met his. As soon as these words had emerged, she noticed that the faun wordlessly looked away.

Lucy looked at him, but after several moments, he stood and started to shove the chair back up against the wall before making his way towards the door. He exited the room without so much as turning around.

The young queen started to stand up as well, but after several seconds she thought better of it and sat back down and looked at Angelina unconvincingly. “He needs a little time, is all, just try to be patient with him.”

“My presence hurts him, I should go,” she said as she started to push the blankets aside. She swung her legs around the side and started to crawl out of bed, but as soon as her feet reached the floor and she tried to stand, her body collapsed and she sank to the ground. In this position, she started to slowly crawl towards the door and Lucy went over to her and rested her hand gently on the nymph’s shoulder.

“Getting up in your state is foolish,” Lucy scolded her but offered her hand and helped the nymph to her feet. _Thank goodness she’s so light,_ Lucy thought as she half carried Angelina back over to the bed and helped her under the covers. “Now, I want you to stay right here until you are strong enough to leave. Right now you are not, and if I must, then I will put this in the form of a command, although I would rather trust that you will stay where you are without my resorting to such things.”

Angelina nodded reluctantly. “I will do as you say.”

“Good,” Lucy said as she reached over and rested her hand against the nymph’s feverish forehead. “I should have brought my cordial with me, you’re burning up, but I fear that I must resort to using the treatment methods I learned from my mother.” She held up her index finger. “Wait here, I’ll be right back. Drink some of the tea; that should help.”

Angelina nodded and reached for the cup and started to hesitantly sip the hot liquid. Within minutes, as promised, the young queen returned to the room. In her hands she carried a basin filled with water and a number of cloth towels were draped over one of her arms. “What are you going to do?” she asked as she returned the cup to the table.

“It’s an old cure, my mother used it when I was sick, the coolness of the towels will bring your fever down,” Lucy said as she placed the basin on the floor before grabbing the chair that Tumnus had used and dragged it over to the bed. Once it was there, she placed the basin on it and reached for a towel and dipped it wordlessly into the basin and began to wring it out. “It’s going to be cold, but it’s because your skin is so dreadfully hot.”

Angelina nodded and warily watched as Lucy folded the wet towel and placed it on her forehead. “It’s so cold,” she began to shiver once Lucy had placed the towel.

“I know,” Lucy said as she held the cool cloth against the face of the nymph, but with her other hand, she gently touched Angelina’s cheek. “You are very sick, and it should help.” After only a short time, she could see the beads of sweat, which extended across her cheek and for the first time since arriving, Lucy could tell to what extent Angelina needed help. “We won’t leave you alone,” she affirmed as Angelina closed her eyes.

“Thank you,” her words emerged breathless and weak.

Lucy smiled gently and nodded as she watched the young nymph drifted off to sleep.

For her part, Lucy slowly got to her feet and walked out of the room.

~~~~~

When Lucy returned to the sitting room, she found Tumnus sitting in a chair, his head was bowed sadly; the letters from his father resting in his lap. He was deep in thought as he was shaking his head, but when he heard her coming, he slowly raised it. His eyes were filled with sadness, but he rubbed his face with both hands before speaking.

“I can’t do it, Lucy. I cannot pretend that all the things that happened were just in my imagination,” he said sorrowfully.

“I can’t believe that you would choose to punish her for that,” Lucy looked at her friend. “Mister Tumnus…” her voice trailed off as he snapped his head up and looked at her. Instead of immediately speaking, she raised her hands in negation, but spoke; her voice cracking. “Please, I don’t know what else to do. I don’t even know how to address you anymore. My presence here has obviously stirred emotions that have hurt and upset you.”

“You haven’t hurt or upset me,” he whispered.

“I must have,” she said as she lowered her head. “It’s just that…” her voice trailed once again. After several seconds she managed to finish what she intended to say, her words coming out in a rush. “Have I done something wrong? Is that why everything feels like it is falling apart?”

This time, Tumnus was taken aback, but he went over to her and touched one side of her face, his fingertips coaxing her to look up. When she finally did, he spoke. “No, why would you even believe that?”

“I don’t know,” she whispered and lowered her head once more. “All these feelings that I have are confusing, and your behavior has added to that.”

“My behavior?” he looked at her clearly confused, but she remained silent. “I don’t think I understand. Please explain.”

“I can’t,” she whispered. “I just sensed that there’s something different between us.”

“You have sensed things about me from the first moment; have you not?” He asked, his voice now a hoarse whisper.

“Yes,” she said softly. “Haven’t you?”

“I cannot put into words what it is,” he admitted reluctantly. “I have never been very good at that.”

“Why can’t you?” she asked.

“It would be wrong of me,” he said sadly. “Perhaps it is a sign of weakness, but it is the truth. I cannot say, for it would ruin everything.” He shook his head. “I can only assure you that I am not angry with you. I never was.”

She nodded. “I wanted to come see you long before now, but there was always something that kept me from doing so. My obligations were literally destroying me. I don’t want to be queen if that means that I have to change my feelings in order to carry out what everyone else expects of me.”

Tumnus reached over and rested his hand in hers. “I expect nothing of you except perhaps the knowing that you will always be true to yourself.” He smiled weakly. “I started to think that you must believe me to be the biggest coward in all of Narnia. I always held onto the hope that you would tell me what you were feeling. Now, I cannot sum up the courage to tell you what is going through my mind and heart right now. I know I spoke of my father during the last hours, but he is not the only one who has been on my mind.”

“Who is on your mind?” she whispered as she glanced towards the door leading into the other room.

His simple three-word response returned her focus to him.

“It is you.”

She raised her head; the hope seemed to swell from within her. After a few moments, realism seemed to take hold of the young queen and she found the courage to speak. “Me?” She whispered and he nodded. “So, when you said earlier that you had met someone, it wasn’t love?”

“No, it wasn’t,” he said with an adamant shake of his head and led her over to the chairs and bade her to sit down.

“I thought…I mean; I surmised that I had waited too long to return to Lantern Waste. I feared that you had found someone new,” she whispered more to herself than to him.

“You thought perhaps that I had fallen in love,” he said matter-of-factly. “Is that not so?”

“Yes,” she whispered as she tried without success to swallow the golf ball sized lump that had lodged itself in the back of her throat. Her face suddenly flushed crimson and it was at that moment when she realized that he had probably made note of her reaction. These little bouts with the green-eyed monster had emerged when they had broached this topic earlier. “You told me that you met someone. Where I come from, that generally means that you’ve fallen in love with them.”

“I’m not in love with her, I emphasize with her. The truth is, right now, I cannot look at that child without feeling the grief that I felt when my father’s last letter came. Aslan knew of this, he probably always knew that my father’s death would hit me hard. It was he who told me that my father was gone.” The faun paused and shook his head. “As for my feelings for you, I have always cared for you, Lucy Pevensie. Perhaps I have cared far too much. You asked me earlier about why I look out the front door before closing it; well, it is the same as my wishing to protect you. It is a habit, which I have grown so accustomed to. I have not been able to break myself free of it, and I fear I never will.”

Lucy looked at him. “Have you ever been in love?”

He sputtered as he came very close to falling out of his seat, but quickly recovered and looked over at her. “I don’t know if what I feel is love, nor do I know if it is a good means to describe what I am experiencing. I could have very well been in love, but never truly realized it or recognized it for what it was,” he admitted softly. “I know what it feels like to feel love towards another. Whether or not I have been in love, I cannot say, although I have asked myself if I had on occasion. In hindsight, that probably does sound rather naïve to you.”

“Not so much naïve as honest,” she said shyly. “I am told almost constantly whom I should spend my days with, what I should do, what is polite, what is queenly, and what is acceptable. Yet, it is the things that I enjoy the most, I fear I have forgotten or forsaken for the sake of the title. One of the things I have ceased to do is visit you, my dearest friend in all of Narnia. To me that is unforgivable,” she lowered her head.

“If there exists anything to forgive you for, it has been done,” he said as she raised her head and looked into his eyes.

“I’m nearly nineteen-years-old, and I’ve met so many suitors. I’ve started to lose track of their names and who is who or where they are from. Did you know that I started writing their names on the palm of my hand so that I wouldn’t slip up and call Prince Augustus, Prince Antonio by mistake?” She turned her hand over and he could see the smudges of ink that colored her palm. “After all these meetings, not one of these pompous windbags make me feel comfortable or even remotely happy. They try to impress me with their wit, or say things that are supposed to be funny, but are anything but. Sometimes their words are offensive and they make me really angry.”

“Angry, that I cannot imagine,” he said lightly.

“It’s true though,” she said sniffing. “No matter how hard these guys try; they cannot impress me, nor can they read what is in my heart. I can discern that they do seek my approval, but I realized so very long ago that I can’t pretend that something is there when it is not. I don’t know what to do, I feel completely torn emotionally.”

Tumnus nodded. “That is very difficult situation, but you should not marry or court a suitor whom you don’t love or at least share a special bond with.”

“I know, and believe me, I’ve tried to tell the others that as well, but nobody seems to listen to me. They only seem to believe that they know what is best for me because they are older than I am,” she said sadly as she shook her head. “I wish that the one I do care for would give just me some sort of sign that he knows I exist. Either that, or show me that I mean something to him.”

“This means that you are the one who is in love,” he said softly. “That is what my father would say, I believe.”

“I think I am,” she whispered. Suddenly, she realized that she sounded very much like she did the day they met, but as quickly as that happened, she recovered once again. “I want to tell him that I love him, but what if he doesn’t feel the same way about me? What if I am just sitting and pining away only to ultimately make a fool of myself in front of him? He will surely think that I have lost my grasp of reality.”

“Why would anyone believe that of you if you are sincere with your feelings?” Tumnus asked gently. “Whoever it is would be very fortunate to have your undying love.”

She thought about his words for several moments. Finally, she took a deep breath and gunning up the courage, she looked at her long-time friend as the words tumbled out before she could even stop them. “What if it is you?” she whispered, her voice filled with emotion.

“Me?” The faun was clearly taken aback, but he waited for her to speak further.

“What if I were to tell you that I love you so much that I would fall completely apart if you were to just leave and walk out of my life? What if I could somehow tell that you were pretending everything was fine when we both know that it is not?” Embarrassed at having said too much, she stared down at her lap instead of looking at him. Although she had moved somewhat since Tumnus made his initial contact with her, his hand was still pressed gently up against one side of her face.

“Are those words you spoke the truth?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. She nodded. “You love me?” His voice cracked, showing the evidence of his overwhelming surprise.

Lucy nodded, as she unconsciously reached up and placed her hand over his so that his hand would remain against her face. She remained silent, the affirming tears streamed from beneath her eyes. She bit down on her lip so as to not break down and cry.

“Oh my,” the faun whispered. He reached with his free hand over and brushed his fingertips across her lip so that she would release it. “You could have any prince or king, and yet you choose me, a humble faun.”

After what felt like an eternity, she slowly raised her head and nodded again, her own voice filled with emotion. “Yes, Tumnus, what I said just now was the truth, but I still don’t know why I came here. Maybe I wanted to find out if…if…” She closed her eyes, unable to hold his piercing gaze.

“…If?” He whispered.

“If you even felt remotely the same way I do,” she whispered, her gaze still on the floor.

Tumnus leaned over as he gently tilted it up so that he was looking deeply into her eyes. “You really have to ask me that?” He asked softly as he kissed her forehead, then the tip of her nose, and finally brushed his lips across hers. The kiss was chaste, but that did not matter because the quick feel of his lips sent the butterflies straight into the pit of her stomach. “You are probably the best friend I have ever had, Lucy,” he spoke, his own voice emerging soft. “Never doubt even for even a moment what I carry in my heart for you. Whatever happens, don’t ever believe for even a moment that the feelings are one-sided. I fear that I was simply too frightened to actually be as honest and open with you.”

“You really mean that?” she asked. As these words hung in the air, she immediately regretted them because they sounded quite childish. None of that seemed to matter however because she suddenly felt herself drawn into his embrace.

“Yes, I do,” he said smiling, his eyes beginning to shine.

She buried her face against his shoulder, and breathed in deeply as she felt a huge burden magically being lifted from her shoulders. With hesitant fingers, and she reached over and touched his face. She touched his cheek, and then her fingers meshed into his beard, the coils of hair soft to the touch.

After several moments, the faun took both of her hands in his and he smiled down at her as their embrace ended. With a gentle finger, he tapped it against the tip of her nose. “I fear that we must wait with any further discussions. As you know, there still exists a pressing situation that we must attend to.”

“You mean taking care of Angelina?” Lucy asked.

“Well, we still do not know why it was that Aslan has asked us to help her,” he began. “I must admit that I am rather worried, while at the same time it is hard for me to face her at present.”

“Maybe Aslan sees something in helping her that we don’t yet,” Lucy began. “To be completely honest, I don’t know what I could possibly do that would help her. You met her and spoke with her last night, and if she decides to let anyone into her world, then it is probably going to be you, not me.”

Tumnus swallowed, the truth literally dousing him like a cold shower, “but why me?”

“Well, the most obvious reason is because she trusts you even if she thinks you hate her,” Lucy said softly.

“I don’t hate her,” the faun responded.

“I know you don’t, you don’t hate anyone. Tumnus, I know how hard this is for you, but that is what she thinks and she does need help,” she said softly. “Perhaps this will prove to be even harder for you than forgiving Edmund was. But remember, you never hated me because of what my brother did. Angelina is just as much a victim of circumstance as I might possibly have been.”

He nodded, his words not immediately emerging. Suddenly the guilt of that season long ago washed over him and he looked down at her. “It is easier to forgive what happened to me than it is to forgive what happened to my father. The hardest I suppose is for me to forgive myself for what I almost did to you.”

“I know, and we have already talked about that,” she said as she squeezed his hand comfortingly. “And you remember what I told you, don’t you?”

“You were concerned for me,” he whispered.

“Yes, you faced danger to protect me, and now Aslan wishes for us to protect her. Remember my beloved, Angelina didn’t do anything,” Lucy said softly, but she could clearly see that he was still struggling with all of this. Eventually, she raised her head and looked into the depths of his blue eyes. “You know that no matter what happens with her, my thoughts will always be with you and you alone.”

“With me?” he whispered; his voice cracking as he looked into the eyes of the young queen. He leaned over and planted a gentle kiss against her forehead as she nodded. “I feel honored.”

Lucy looked into the eyes of the faun, her next words emerging and filling his troubled heart with the utmost joy. “I only speak the truth, dearest Tumnus, because I love you.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Oreius ran through the woods in great haste. Lucy’s small bottle was tucked gently in a satin bag, which was hanging down over his shoulder. He ran quickly, the trees passing by in a literal blur. From Cair Paravel, it only took him a quarter of the time to reach Lantern Waste as it did for Lucy. He was certain that this trip would be without any sort of problems, but he soon came across two of his comrades. “Theodosius, what brings you and Zachariah to this neck of the woods?”

“General Oreius, we saw Aslan,” Theodosius said, “but we have news that perhaps would be good for you to know, or better yet, for High King Peter to be made aware of.”

“What news do you have?” Oreius asked.

“There are rumors of an uprising, and they are saying that the family of Johann has reemerged. They say that the dryad and his family intend on starting trouble. We saw his kid, but she had managed to find protection through Aslan.”

“Aslan is protecting her?” Oreius asked pointedly. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Aslan is ruler of the wood, he doesn’t have to make sense,” Zachariah said as he tapped his hooves impatiently in the dirt.

“Where is the girl?” Oreius asked.

“After we left, we saw Queen Lucy and her faun friend approaching them at the lamppost. Aslan had seated himself on the ground and was watching over her as a guardian of sorts,” Theodosius said. “We weren’t very nice to her, I will admit, but she looked a wreck. Most all of her sustained injuries were not because of us.”

“If Aslan has protected her, then we must not believe that she has done anything wrong or treacherous,” Oreius said firmly. “Did you find out anything about her parents?”

“Nothing at all, but the rumors are circulating around Lantern Waste pretty quickly. They say that Johann is in hiding somewhere, but they also claim that he has managed to find support from within small groups of Narnians,” Theodosius responded. “We thought in capturing the girl that she would tell us where her parents are hiding. Before we could properly interrogate her, Aslan appeared, ordered us to release her, and return home.”

Oreius nodded. “I shall continue the search, as I must go to Lantern Waste anyway and deliver something to Queen Lucy. I will be sure to have a look around, though. Perhaps some of our people can help us sort out the fact from the fancy.”

The two centaurs nodded as they trotted away and disappeared in the distance. Oreius continued on his mission to return the forgotten gift to the queen. He smiled weakly as he remembered what Peter had instructed of him. He was to return Lucy’s cordial, but also find out if there was anything of an inappropriate nature happening between the King’s youngest sister and the faun.

As he walked, he could feel that the ground beneath his hooves was uneven and rough and this slowed him down. After several hundred meters, he found himself coming upon a wide valley with deep trenches that seemed to spark up from nothing. His thoughts returned to the events that had followed his conversation with Queen Susan. He had headed straight for the kitchen where he secured snacks and provisions for the trip.

It was there where he ran into Xavier once again. The young dryad had appeared concerned about something, but he spoke not a word about his observations, instead the two of them had gone about their business without any sort of dialogue. His conversation with Queen Susan had left the General’s mind reeling and this was perhaps the reason he did not engage Xavier in dialogue.

It was clear that he was no longer certain if this was what he should be doing, but Oreius was, for practical purposes, a servant, and he was instructed to follow the orders of the High King over all others. Yet, his thoughts returned more often than not to Queen Susan’s concerns, and he could understand why it was she had stopped him as he was making his way to the kitchen. He suppressed a small smile as his thoughts became centered on the lovely queen.

He shook his head, his hair fluttering lightly in the breeze. His task was not to psychoanalyze what the rulers’ motivations were, but rather to fulfill a mission. Upon affirming to the High King that he would not require any of his men, the King had consented to his trekking off on his own. It was nice to be alone, no gossipers following behind or lollygaggers slowing him down.

Oreius knew the Narnian terrain better than just about anyone; perhaps that had to do with him being decorated as General in Aslan’s army. He could run faster when alone, and at this pace, he figured that he would most likely be able to return to Cair Paravel by late in the evening.

Right now, the sun was still high in the sky, which indicated that it would remain daylight for at least seven, if not eight more hours. As he continued to contemplate what was happening, he came to realize that the earth beneath his hooves had become increasingly smoother. This enabled him to quicken his step to a consistent trot. Now the trees were passing by much faster, and he could feel his hair wafting behind his shoulders as he continued on his way.

After several hours, he had reached the lamppost and stopped. Abruptly, he lowered his head when he saw something shiny in a crop of bushes not too far away from where he stood. The bushes were somewhat low to the ground, but he managed to reach into them in order to retrieve the object that had caught his eye. As he pulled it from between the scratchy branches, he gasped when he realized that what he now held in his hand was a large, rusty sword. “What is this?” he asked the stillness, not really expecting to hear an answer, but surprised when he did.

“I’m afraid it is the affirmation of evil returning to Narnia, General Oreius.” He turned around to see that Mr. Beaver had approached and had nodded his head respectfully at the centaur. “We found it at the close of the celebration last night. Someone had left it out in the open and so I hid it. I suppose I was waiting for someone to happen by, who would be able to transport it to Cair Paravel. Mrs. Beaver would have strung me up by my paws if I had brought such a weapon into our burrow.”

Oreius nodded but not even a chuckle emerged from between his pursed lips. His gaze continued to study the sword for several moments. After a bit of time had passed, he looked at Mr. Beaver. “Have you any idea who could have left it behind?”

“None, Sir,” the beaver said shaking his furry head. “I was quite taken aback, but then I read the engravings on one side. For whatever reason, I suddenly knew that there was trouble brewing. This sword must belong to Johann since it has engravings on it that demonstrate an undying loyalty to Jadis. From what some of the trees have said, this weapon was intended for his daughter, Angelina.”

“Why would Aslan protect her?” Oreius muttered.

“I beg your pardon?” the beaver looked at him confused.

“I was told that Aslan was here and he protected her,” Oreius offered as he shook his head.

“I don’t really know, General, I haven’t seen Aslan since the coronation,” the beaver offered honestly, but his eyes carried a trace of surprise. “Could Aslan even be here?”

“I do not know specifically, I just arrived myself, but I can say that from what I have heard, Aslan has returned. He apparently protected the daughter of Johann this morning in this very spot. It was further said that Her Majesty, Queen Lucy, and her faun friend…”

“…His name is Tumnus,” the beaver supplied.

“Oh yes, of course, that she and Tumnus had assisted the nymph in question,” Oreius said. “Yet I cannot help but ponder if the rumors were true and that Angelina had intended on joining the witch’s supporters?”

“No,” the beaver shook his head. “I don’t believe that the child would betray Aslan. The Missus and I saw her dancing and then speaking with Tumnus last night. She seemed rather lost and distant, but from what I was able to understand, their conversations seemed to be centered on Aslan.”

“You picked up on all that?” Oreius asked with disbelief.

“I have very good ears,” the beaver supplied.

“So, you think that the nymph is trustworthy, correct?” Oreius asked skeptically.

“I don’t think she left that sword at the party, if that’s what you’re asking,” the beaver said. “It would seem far too heavy for her, she’s just a child. Besides that, logically, she wouldn’t be able to dance with a faun and at the same time try to conceal such a large weapon.”

Oreius nodded, “I see, well, alright, then I shall take it back to Cair Paravel and turn it over to the Kings and Queens.”

He carefully placed the sword in a pack that was affixed to his lower back. Once the object had disappeared inside the bag, he straightened out and looked at the beaver. “Did you hear any tell of an uprising?”

“I heard that there have been tell of it, and for a while I believed that these were just rumors,” the beaver responded, but he glanced towards the bag that was resting on the centaur’s back. “Then again, that was until I discovered the sword, but it could have easily been placed by one individual trying to scare us. It’s really hard to say what I believe, but I can affirm that at the celebrations, no rumors had circulated about it.”

“I shall be returning to Cair Paravel once I complete my task in Lantern Waste. There, I will inform the High King of everything that we have spoken of,” he said.

“Thank you,” the beaver responded. “I must be off before the missus sends out the search party to find my precise whereabouts. I wish you a very safe journey, General Oreius.”

“Thank you, Mr. Beaver,” the centaur nodded and started to make his way in the direction of Tumnus’ house.

As he came closer to the cave, he thought before he knocked, he would take a peek inside through the front window. He did not make it a habit of spying on others, but at this moment, he felt that it was part of his duty. He inched closer to the window and peered into the cave. The entire place was dark, but he could see that Queen Lucy was inside and Tumnus was seated right next to her. Aside from that, he could not make out anything else and so instead of hanging about, he approached the door and lightly knocked.

When the door finally opened, he was left looking down at Tumnus’ surprised face. “General Oreius, what are you doing here?”

“I am here to see Her Majesty,” the centaur responded formally.

“How did you know she was even here?” Tumnus asked curiously.

“I was told that you and Queen Lucy were taking care of an injured nymph, and her brother, the High King, sent me to bring something to her,” he said as Lucy came from behind Tumnus. “Your Majesty,” he said and bowed. “Please excuse the intrusion.”

The youngest Pevensie sibling nodded, she had overheard the centaur’s words prior to approaching. Instead of acknowledging them, she spoke as though she had just come over to greet him. “General Oreius, what do we owe this unexpected pleasure?” she asked, her voice etched with unhidden traces of annoyance. “Did my brothers send you to look in on me again?”

“Your Majesty I was sent to bring the bottle with the cordial to you,” he said as he handed her the small silk bag containing the bottle.

“Thank you,” she offered politely as she started to turn away from him and retreat into the inner sanctums of Tumnus’ cave. The centaur’s voice suddenly made her stop dead in her tracks and slowly turn around.

“Your Majesty, I must inquire if everything is setting right with you, if you need some assistance, I’m here,” he offered.

“No, I’m fine,” she said, her voice somewhat strained. If truth were known, Lucy was sick of her brothers trying to play her great protectors and keep her under some sort of control. Seeing General Oreius here was case in point, but she also knew that he was not responsible for what had been happening between her and her siblings. She had not said much, but she was quickly reaching the point where she had become quite tired of her role as Queen of Narnia.

“Your Majesty,” the Centaur began.

“If you please, General Oreius, I require a break from all of that,” she said simply. “This is why I came here.”

“What shall I tell your brothers?” he asked.

“Tell them that I need a break. I need time to see my friends, my true friends, not the ones who go parading about looking like peacocks as they ruffle their feathers and try to impress me. I need to be in a place where I can be myself for a change, where I can eat with my fingers if I so desire, and where I am not told that my behavior is inappropriate, wrong, or unbecoming.”

“They only mean well,” Oreius said.

“I realize that, and I truly do understand, but that does not change the fact that Peter has become quite bothersome. He continues to try and match me up with every prince of blue blood in the almanac. Let me just say that if it was your sister or daughter who was being told who to woo or who she would one day marry, then perhaps you would not be so quick to accept this sort of mission. Perhaps it is that rationale which will enable you to fully understand my indignant responses.” Lucy said trying to keep her voice level and controlled. However, both Oreius and Tumnus could distinctly hear the undertones of resentment emerging from her.

The faun continued to watch the scene play out and although it surprised him, he could detect that she had intentionally withheld speaking about her true feelings towards him. He understood for the first time since her arriving at his home, how hard it must be for her. She was accurate in her arguments about having to conceal her feelings and ideas from others. Of all the people she knew, he was probably the only one whom she felt she could truly be herself around and not play some role that was forced upon her.

Tumnus came closer to her and placed his hand comfortingly on her shoulder and she turned and looked at him. He could tell that she wanted nothing more than to shout from the top of the highest mountain in Narnia that she loved him.

She returned her attention to Oreius as the faun removed his hand from her shoulder and backed away slowly. Once he was standing next to the bookshelf, he silently watched as the queen and the centaur spoke. This was her battle to fight, he concluded, and as much as he would have wanted to intervene, he knew beyond any doubt that could not.

The young queen took a deep breath, her voice suddenly jarring him out of his reverie and he looked into her eyes. Her gaze was filled with understanding, but when she spoke, there was a strange determination emerging in her words. “I understand that you are merely carrying out orders, General, and that you are ordered by a higher ranking individual than myself to do so. It is with that in mind that I must make a request that ought to be delivered to my brothers and sister straightaway.”

“What do you wish me to relay to them Your Majesty?” he asked.

“I wish for you to tell them that I will return to Cair Paravel when I wish and at my own discretion. They must trust that I can take care of myself,” she said firmly. “I shall be returning with Tumnus in the coming days, but I will send word back to them on the eve of our departure and no sooner.” With that, she turned away and the centaur could tell that the conversation was clearly over.

He nodded and started towards the door. “What about the nymph?”

“What about her?” Lucy asked.

“She comes from a traitorous background, Your Majesty, it may prove unsafe for you to be in her company,” he began.

As he spoke, none of them noticed that Angelina had woken. From the bed where she was resting, she could make out the centaur’s words as they filtered in from the sitting room. Upon hearing them, her face suddenly lost all its color as she remembered what had happened earlier that day at the lamppost. She listened as Lucy offered her response.

“General, I do not answer to you for my actions, I answer perhaps to my siblings, but I also answer to Aslan. It was he who has requested that Tumnus and I take care of her and nurse her back to health. It is something that I will take very seriously, and rumors do not mean anything to me. Aslan has made a request and that must be heeded.”

“Of course,” he said softly and backed towards the door leading outside.

~~~~~

As soon as the centaur had left the faun’s cave, the door had closed behind him. Lucy looked at her friend and bit down on her lip as she tried to keep the frustrated tears at bay. “I don’t understand why they keep doing this to me,” she grumbled irritably. “It’s not like I am still a child who cannot take care of herself.”

Tumnus shook his head. “I don’t know why either,” he said as he reached over, took her hand in his, led her over to the chair, and helped her to sit down. “Tell me what happened just before you left the castle.”

“There isn’t much to tell. I talked to Edmund about what happened at the witch’s castle. After that, he went and made some off-colored remark about Peter wanting to marry me off to one of those horrible suitors. Tumnus, I didn’t know what to do. I wrote a note addressing it to Susan and left it in my chamber. I made sure that it was in a place where she would find it. I guess after seeing General Oreius just now verified that she found it. In the letter, I outlined my intentions of coming to Lantern Waste, although leaving the cordial behind had been unintentional.”

“You were essentially trying to find sanctuary somewhere,” Tumnus finished.

“Yes, but tell me, what would you have done?” she asked. “Perhaps I acted in haste, but I wanted to have some time for myself. I can’t just sit in that castle and wait for my brother to decide who I’m supposed to marry.”

“I do not know what I would have done,” he said honestly. “It is conceivable that I would have done the very same thing you did.”

“I’ve always felt safe here with you,” she whispered as she rested her head against his bare shoulder. “Tumnus…what is the matter with me?”

“There is nothing the matter with you,” he said gently as he began to stroke the side of her face. Without thinking, she reached up and pressed his hand against her face. He swallowed upon feeling this and looked into her eyes. “You must think me to be rather ignorant of such matters as these. You see, dearest Lucy, my father never discussed this topic with me.”

“You said earlier that you had never been in love, yet, you said after I confessed my feelings that you felt the same way. I don’t understand. Why did you tell me that you had never been in love if that is what you felt?” she looked up at him.

“How would it be for me to admit what I feel for you and at the same time, know fully what I am and how different we are?” he shook his head. “I could never have wished to put you into such a precarious situation as that, Lucy. It would have been completely unfair of me to tell you what goes though my mind and heart whenever your name is mentioned.” He smiled shyly. “I asked myself many a time if I was in fact in love with you, and the answer is ‘yes’, but how appropriate or right is that?”

Lucy looked into the eyes of her dearest friend. Her hand continued to move along the contours of his face, her fingertips lightly stroking his cheek. “I don’t care about being appropriate or right anymore, I love you, I think I always have.”

“I should have been honest with you, I realize that now,” he began. “I simply could not stop contemplating how different we are, and that I stand far beneath you.”

“Tumnus, just because you are a faun and I’m a girl, doesn’t mean that you are beneath me,” Lucy said exasperated.

“But you are a queen of Narnia,” he objected. “That is above what I am.”

“No, I’m just Lucy,” she said stubbornly as the tears caught in her eyes. “I was Lucy Pevensie when we met and I still am. Please don’t start acting like I some flawless creature that can do no wrong, I can’t bear that anymore. You know me better than anyone in Narnia ever could, Tumnus. Now you tell me, what is so wrong with us falling in love with each other?”

“When you put it that way, I do not know.” He smiled gently at her, his arms winding around her.

Without warning, her weight came to rest against him. “What are we going to do?” She whispered after several moments. “I mean; my brothers…”

“I have thought of this myself,” he offered honestly.

“How are we going to tell them how we feel? I don’t want to lie to them. I already feel as though I have lied to General Oreius.” Sighing, she shook her head. “I didn’t want to deny my feelings for you, Tumnus, and it feels rather like I did.”

“You did not lie to him, it was not any of his concern what you felt at that moment, and I do not interpret it as shame or embarrassment. Lucy, when the time does come, then you will do the proper thing and tell your brothers and sister what your feelings are. They cannot force you to wed someone whom you do not love. It would be a tragedy if they did and it would not be as Aslan wishes,” he said as he rested his hand on hers. “I believe I now understand what he meant at the lamppost when we saw him earlier. Perhaps he knew from the start that it would have been better for me to be honest as opposed to holding off on speaking the truth with you.”

“Is that what he could have meant?” she asked.

“I think it might have been what he implied, but I’m not sure if I’m ready to believe that Aslan approves of us,” he said softly. “Lucy, it will be Aslan whom we must ask when we see him again.”

The queen nodded, and somewhere in the depths of her being, came a trace of fear. “Aslan would approve,” she said bravely. When she spoke again, her next words emerged filled with doubt. “Wouldn’t he?”

The faun shrugged his shoulders. “I hope so, but for what it is worth, you did accomplish something today and that is, you faced General Oreius with more courage and conviction than anyone could have estimated. You are a source of inner strength; you must simply believe it. Perhaps when you speak to Aslan, as you seem willing to do, you will convey that very same strength.”

Lucy nodded. “You are very wise, Tumnus.”

“You remember that I am also a few years older than you, do you not?” he asked smiling gently.

“A few, perhaps, but does that really matter?” she whispered. “Am I still a child to you, like Angelina is?”

Tumnus shook his head. “You are the epitome of queenly grace, and my very best friend.”

“Perhaps,” she smiled weakly, “but you didn’t answer my question.”

“Allow me to put it to you this way; I do not share feelings of romantic love and devotion to one who is a child. Perhaps you were a child when we met, and we shared a friendship that was appropriate for a faun and young girl to share. Today, however, you are a woman, close to nineteen, and quite capable of deciding with whom you spend your days. It honors me to the depths of my being that you choose to spend them with me. If you were still a child, then the feelings, which I carry this day, would be inappropriate and wrong,” he said but cocked his head to one side and smiled at her.

She nodded and smiled as she glanced towards the door that General Oreius had exited only moments before.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Once Oreius had disappeared from Lantern Waste, Angelina’s mother emerged from behind the bushes where she had been hiding. She wiped the dead leaves from her raven black hair as she stared in the direction he had gone. Her expression was shadowed with hate and hostility as he disappeared in the thicket.

It was she who had placed the sword next to the lamppost. The rationale for it had been intended as a sign for her daughter. Lydia wanted nothing more than to show her daughter where her loyalties should lie. Blood was, after all, thicker than water and this family was one, which had supported Jadis’ icy control over Narnia. The sword was not only a symbol of devotion, but was also a reminder of the witch’s reign.

_That insolent Beaver had the audacity to move it,_ she thought bitterly. _I shall have my revenge on them all. They were the ones who had helped to ruin my family and steer my daughter’s loyalties away from her roots._

Her contemplations returned to the sword. It was an object that was most definitely consumed in dark magic. The word going around Narnia was that the sword was capable of doing things that very few in Narnia could understand. Johann had just started to realize the properties it held when Aslan killed Jadis on the battlefield. The witch had bestowed it upon her husband for his service to the realm, something that she had rarely, if ever, done.

Lydia remembered how Johann had told her time and again that to Jadis, they were all mere servants. They basically had lived as slaves to the whim of the witch. Yet, Lydia knew that they owed her their devotion because she had given something more valuable than gold to Johann. She had given him the ability to speak. This came about only after proving his loyalties to her.

It was true, Johann had been as devoted a servant to her as Morgrim. Like Jadis, the wolf was now dead and the sword was the only object that represented the time before Aslan’s return. Lydia had found it quite by accident, but her husband had never spoken of it and today, his voice was gone. It had been taken away after the witch had been killed and his sole manner of communication emerged through either the written word or his eyes.

The nymph remembered during the time she had courted Johann that the dryad had been mute prior to the witch’s reign beginning. After her death, Johann was once more consumed in a world of silence.

Lydia knew that her daughter emotionally leaned on the belief that Aslan truly existed. This she scorned because she had lost her faith in everyone and everything. The only hope that was left centered on reminiscing about the old times. She remained hopeful that not only would this restore the old times to Narnia, but it would also enable her husband to speak.

She had received word from Bettina at Cair Paravel that the nymph was hard at work trying to find a weakness in the monarchy. She had yet to hear if she had been successful, but she basically concluded that General Oreius’ abrupt presence in Lantern Waste affirmed that something was about to happen. Bettina had managed to do something, but what was not yet clear.

She continued to walk in the direction that she had seen her daughter going with Tumnus the night before. She got down on the ground some distance and started to trace her fingers along the path. She had discovered at the lamppost that the indentures in the earth were somewhat bewildering. She concluded that if she were to follow the prints, they would lead her to Angelina’s whereabouts.

Based on the sizes of the prints she was now tracking, one was either a nymph or a Daughter of Eve, and another a Narnian with hooves. The larger print in the ground seemed to be from a much larger animal, perhaps a lion or a bear.

Lydia’s gaze remained on the indentures that covered the earth. She knew that wherever her daughter was, she, herself, was in part responsible. She had beaten her daughter senseless the night before after she had dragged her away from the faun. She had also been shocked and angered by Angelina’s intentions. Now that her daughter had run away, she would have to find her. It looked as though the young nymph had all but disappeared off the face of the meadow.

The truth was, Lydia had intended on sharing the family secrets with her only child that morning. Yet, much to her dismay, she had woken that morning and entered Angelina’s room, only to find it completely empty. Her daughter had been awake and left before she and Johann had awaken. This action alone sealed the fact that their family life was falling apart.

Lydia had no idea that Aslan had taken it upon himself to protect her daughter from harm. She did not know that it was his body print that was in the earth near the lamppost.

She was simply put out that she would not be physically able to catch up with Oreius. Instead, she started to make her way in the direction of Tumnus’ cave. For whatever reason, she had a strange feeling that the faun would know where Angelina was hiding. Perhaps it was not too late to ask him to help deliver her daughter back into the hands of her family. Of course, given her atrocious behavior the night before, she pondered if the faun would be particularly forthcoming with information at all.

Without hesitating, she continued to make her way towards the door of Tumnus’ cave. She had to try, and before knocking at the door, she decided that she would peer into the cave through the front window.

She scurried between the trees, through the thickets, and grassy indentures until she reached what appeared to be a rock covered cliff. In the middle of the rock, she could make out the large and heavy looking black colored door. To the right hand side of the door, a small window was visible. She inched closer to it in the hopes of seeing if her daughter was actually inside. What she saw took her by surprise.

Inside the cave was a girl, or in this case, a grown woman. If she was not mistaken, it was a Daughter of Eve who appeared to be paying the faun a visit. Her dark hair was presently brushing against her shoulders, and her face, although appearing tired at that moment, carried a sense of maturity and loveliness. Whoever she was, she was sitting on one of the chairs in the sitting room of the faun’s cave.

Lydia stood watching and could see that Tumnus was also present. Both the woman and the faun appeared to be deep in conversation with one another and seemed not to pay her any mind.

That was, at least, what she thought. Several minutes passed and the young woman had spotted her at the window. She stood up, and started to make her way towards the window. Lydia backed away from the window, but not before she could see the woman’s face.

It was none other than Queen Lucy, the youngest Narnian Monarch. She was presently dressed in a simple, but long flowing blue colored traveling gown. As she walked, the folds of her gown brushed the ground gracefully and Lydia stared at the queen. Her immediate thoughts were that Lucy looked like the centerpiece for a wedding cake.

By this time, the young woman abruptly reached the window and pulled it open. “May I help you?” she asked pointedly, her voice bordering on a demand.

“N-no, excuse me,” Lydia managed as Tumnus came from behind Lucy and looked out at her through troubled eyes.

“What do you want?” he asked; his voice stilted.

Instead of responding to this question, Lydia remained silent, but the faun continued to speak. “Your actions last evening seemed to speak volumes regarding your true intentions.”

“What do you know?” The nymph asked.

“I know that I do not have to go and look into people’s windows to find out things about them,” he said with obvious frustration in his voice. “What do you want?” He repeated Lucy’s question.

“I am Lydia, and I want my daughter back,” Lydia looked at the two of them. “I have reason to believe that she came here.”

Lucy looked at her. “Who’s your daughter?”

“You know perfectly well who my daughter is,” Lydia snapped.

“No, I don’t,” Lucy responded.

“This is Angelina’s mother, Lydia,” Tumnus supplied the information, and Lucy looked at the nymph with unsuppressed anger.

“I see. So you’re the one who saw fit to beat your daughter senseless and then leave her only to have another to treat her injuries. What sort of mother are you to do that to her?”

“I’m a good mother,” Lydia said.

“You expect us to help you find her after you did all that to her?” Lucy asked angrily. “She speaks with Tumnus at a party, and as a result, gets thirty lashes from her mother.”

“She’s my daughter,” Lydia repeated. “I know what’s good for her, and I do have every right to discipline her.”

Lucy could feel the anger rising in her and she looked at Tumnus not knowing what to say. From behind the faun, Angelina had slowly emerged from the room where she rested and was standing half concealed in the doorway.

Seeing this, Tumnus turned back around and looked at Lydia. “She is perhaps the daughter you bore, but she is a child of this wood, and as such, deserves to be treated with kindness and compassion. If your behavior last evening is any indication to the state that she is now in, then I ponder whether or not you would think twice about beating her for trying to be true to herself.”

“You couldn’t know anything about this, you have no family left,” Lydia snapped.

“You are right, I do not, and that is thanks to your family,” Tumnus said evenly. “Now leave my cave, you are not welcome here.”

“I will not leave without my daughter,” Lydia said.

As she spoke, Angelina came out from where she was hiding and Lydia could see her. The young nymph was barely standing, her body weak and trembling. She approached, her hands groping the walls for stability.

As she came closer, her eyes met those of her mother and she shook her head. “I-I will not go with you.” Her words emerged weak, and she found herself reaching for both Lucy and Tumnus’ hands. “I am not like you, nor am I like my father.” She looked at Tumnus, her eyes filled with sadness and fear as she regarded him. “I’m so sorry…” she whispered. Within seconds, she slowly sank to the floor; her body trembling and the faun crouched down next to her.

“You have done nothing that you must apologize for,” he said softly as he pulled her onto his lap. “Lucy, you now have the cordial, can you not help her?”

_The cordial?_ the nymph stared as Lucy walked slowly towards them and pulled the cordial from her pocket and seated herself on the floor next to them. “You can’t…” the words escaped from her as Tumnus looked up.

“She wants to help your daughter,” the faun said.

Angelina looked up at Lucy as she opened the bottle and poured a drop from it into the suffering nymph’s mouth.

~~~~~

The three of them watched as the liquid from the cordial began to take affect. Lucy looked down at the young nymph who, much to their horror had started to change. Her voice was now emerging in gasps, her breath strained and her hands reaching up to grip her throat. From the look of things, she looked to be choking.

Tumnus started towards Angelina with the intention of helping her, but when he touched her shoulder, he could feel the hard abrasiveness of the skin beneath his hand. Abruptly, he jerked it away, her skin somehow burning the very tip of his finger.

For her part, Lydia watched in absolute horror as her daughter continued to have convulsions. “Look at what you have done!” She screamed at Lucy, her voice shrill and filled with hate. “You have given my child poison.”

‘Poison’, the one word filtered through Lucy’s mind as she watched Angelina’s skin turn a putrid brownish green color. She stared with absolute shock at Angelina, her heart beating wildly in her chest and her eyes filling with tears. The empathy the young Narnian queen felt for the nymph was positively overwhelming, but the guilt in having been the one that subjected her to such pain was more to than she could bear.

Within seconds, the bottle that she held in her hand slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor. As it did, droplets of the liquid landed on various fixtures in his house. One of the drops landed on the stack of books that were still on the floor in the corner. The pages began to crackle and hiss and Tumnus looked down at them and shook his head.

_Lydia is right,_ the faun thought sadly. Right before their eyes, the young nymph had been poisoned. He glanced back towards the window. _How would Angelina's mother know all of this if she were not involved somehow?_ He asked himself. What happened next brought him crashing back down to earth and he was left staring at Lucy who was extending her hand towards the half empty bottle.

Some of the liquid had splashed onto the folds of her dress and Tumnus could tell that even in his darkened cave, the fabric had been damaged and anything that liquid would touch could prove hazardous. Without a moment’s hesitation, he reached out and took her hands in his and pulled her away from the bottle and over to him. “No, Lucy, don’t touch it,” he whispered urgently. “It is poison, and anything that it touches will do what it did to Angelina. We have to leave this place, there is far too much evil here.” He looked up to see that Lydia was still standing in the window, her cold eyes regarding them.

“How can you hold her like this? It was she who has hurt my daughter,” the nymph said, her voice a low hiss. “Queen Lucy has killed her.”

“No, I didn’t,” Lucy cried, the absolute horror of the moment literally encasing her. Without speaking further, she buried her face against Tumnus’ chest, the faun continuing to hold her.

“Yes you did,” she hissed angrily. “And when I get through with you, every creature in Narnia is going to know the truth. You are a cold blooded snake who calls herself a queen of Narnia. You are nothing but a murderer in the guise of a Daughter of Eve.”

Lucy looked at Tumnus, “But I didn’t,” she whispered, “truly, I didn’t.”

Tumnus looked at the nymph, and then down at Angelina’s now stiff body. “We must take her to Aslan, he would know what to do,” he said firmly, his voice reaching Lydia’s ears.

“There is no Aslan,” the nymph screeched as she regarded Lucy. “And you have blood on your hands.”

“Tumnus, I didn’t know this was going to happen,” Lucy whispered, her voice strained. “If I had known that this wasn’t the right cordial, I would never have used it.”

“I know,” the faun whispered gently. “Right now, we have to get her out of here and get her to Aslan. He will know what to do.”

“But where could he be, and how could we possibly find him?” Lucy whispered.

“There is no Aslan,” Lydia repeated these words and left the window with the intention of coming into the cave. When she reached the door and noticed that it was locked, she began to pound on it. “Let me in, I must take my daughter to her father. Her sacrifice should not go unrewarded.”

When neither of them opened the door, Lydia stopped after some time and looked down at her fist, the skin was bruised and this forced her to give up. _I shall go and find our people,_ she thought as she started to walk away from the faun’s house. _Once we are together, we can make our plans._

As much as she did not wish to admit, she was alone. There existed only a smattering of those loyal to the witch left in Lantern Waste. Most of them had been convinced by Lydia herself that Jadis’ memory must be redeemed. “When they hear of this, then they will take up arms against Aslan’s army,” she muttered under her breath and made her way back in the direction of the lamppost.

As she reached it, she released a pent up breath. One or two nymphs had approached where she was standing and waved. These were, of course, friends of their family, and as soon as they met her, one of them spoke.

“What has happened Lydia, you look terrible?” the question emerged.

“My daughter was sacrificed today for our cause,” she began. “The sacrifice will enable the disgrace to these so called Kings and Queens. All we have to do is just make our way to the castle and meet up with Bettina and the others who have been helping us.”

They nodded and started to make their way back through the woods. “Where is the sword, Lydia?” One of her fellow betrayers asked, this one a female dryad.

“The beaver stole it,” Lydia said. “I had laid it next to the lamppost as a sign, but he took it and hid it. The next thing I knew, one of the Centaurs in Aslan’s army had it in his possession. I didn’t know what to do about it. I saw him leaving, and yet could do absolutely nothing to prevent it. Now, he is probably at Cair Paravel. You know how fast centaurs can run.”

“Lydia, I fear I must tell you what happened with your daughter, I saw everything,” one of the dryads eventually spoke, his voice somewhat filled with uncertainty. “I saw him, I saw Aslan with Angelina. He had protected her from two centaurs. They were convinced that she was a traitor, but he showed up and protected her. I don’t think this uprising is going to work if he’s back in Narnia. You know how powerful he is.”

“Are you backing out on me, Leopold?” Lydia asked. “You were once wishing to court my daughter, if memory serves.”

“Yes and perhaps that is why I am backing out,” Leopold retorted. “You can’t expect a small crop of nymphs and dryads to go up against Aslan. You do remember what happened to Jadis, don’t you? He killed her, he did, I saw it happen, and suddenly freedom came to Narnia. I know that my father is your husband’s best friend, but I don’t know if this will work, they are so many and we are now so few.”

“You wouldn’t be saying that if you had seen what this so called Queen Lucy did to my daughter, to the one you claim to love,” Lydia snapped. “She turned her into a tree she did, I saw it with my own eyes. She used some bottled magic to do it, and now my daughter is dead.”

Leopold looked at her. “You’re serious?”

“I have never been more serious a day in my life,” Lydia hissed. “So, if you want to continue masquerading under Aslan’s flag, then fine, but you can do it without me. He was the one who appointed a murderess to the throne of Narnia after our beloved Queen Jadis died. So, I shall fight this tragedy with the last amount of life I have left. I will not let my daughter die in vain. You can if you wish, but I will not. A mother can only shed so many tears for her children, you know.” She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and dramatically blew her nose.

Leopold looked at her, the dryad obviously swayed. “If that is the truth,” he began as he drew a sword. “Then this Queen Lucy must die.”

“You are going to avenge my daughter?” Lydia asked.

Leopold nodded. “I shall, Lydia, or I will die trying,” he said assuredly, his eyes filled with anger. “Our beloved Angelina will not die in vain. Perhaps it is time for all of us to take up arms and fight against the armies that robbed us of our queen as you have so often said.”

Lydia smiled and nodded, but all the while Leopold was getting riled up. Of course did not mention the suspicion that it was one of their friends had perhaps made the switch in the first place. Some things are better left unsaid.

She watched as the dryad left their group, and she smiled. “He’s going to go after the murderer of my daughter,” she smiled coyly as she looked at the others assembled. “He won’t have to go too far, the faun’s house is just around the corner.”

“He must prepare himself though,” one of the other nymphs said. “Family honor is a very near and dear thing to Leopold. He will return home and make ready to face whatever will come.”

Lydia nodded as the group dispensed and her best friend, a dryad named Clarice came over to her and spoke. “You didn’t mention to any of them that you figured that Bettina had successfully made the switch. If they knew that she was behind this, you know what would happen.”

“Yes, I know, but why upset things by making those dolts aware of that fact? They have all but lost their nerve because of Aslan’s presence. Now, Angelina’s fate could stir their loyalties in such a way that they would be willing to march into war, even against the great Aslan. It is a move that had to be made. Remember, Jadis’ words were quite clear, sometimes small sacrifices are necessary when one considers the big picture.”

“You will end up dead if you keep talking like this,” Clarice said. “You know that the rumors about an uprising are all over Lantern Waste. It won’t be long before they reach Cair Paravel, if they haven’t already.”

Lydia nodded, “of that I’m quite aware. Bettina’s last correspondence was quite clear; she had managed to find a way into the bedchamber of Queen Lucy, and said that she would write another letter to us once she had managed to make the switch. We never heard back from her, but given what I have seen, she must have been successful. I must draw that conclusion given what has happened to my beloved daughter.”

Clarice shook her head. “You’re a terrible actress, Lydia, the only one you have ever given a spare thought for is Johann. Having a daughter has been nothing more than an inconvenience to you. You also know perfectly well that Angelina has far too great of a conscience for your particular tastes. That much you have made clear on more than one occasion. It makes no difference to you if Angelina dies, as long as it serves your overt purpose of becoming a Narnian with power. This is the only reason you’re heading up the rebellion. Do you honestly think that it will give Johann back his voice?”

Lydia looked at her friend and started towards her. “I’d hold my tongue if I were you, Clarice. You’re supposed to be my best friend as well as my supporter. The way you’re talking, it would sound like you have been somehow influenced by a certain lion.”

Clarice looked at the nymph. “I am not pushing sides, but I know when someone is manipulating things and right now, I would say that you are. I would also be willing to bet that as long as it takes you to a throne and makes you queen of Narnia, that you will do whatever you can to continue. Personally, I don’t care how important this quest is to you, nor do I think it will ever bring back Johann’s voice. I know that is what you ultimately want, but Lydia, Johann lost his ability to speak and that is not coming back.”

Lydia shook her head adamantly. “I won’t ever believe that, Clarice, there is magic all around Narnia, and somewhere there does exist the magic that will help enable my beloved Johann to speak again. He has already lost his voice, and now I have lost my daughter,” Lydia shouted, her voice filled with hate. “As long as I know that Leopold has taken up arms to avenge my daughter’s death, then all shall be right in the world.”

Clarice shook her head. “If you succeed, Lydia, nothing will ever be right again, freedom will be lost, and Narnia will forever be forsaken. You may think that it will change everything back to the way it was, but the witch is dead. Aslan killed her, she will not reincarnate. Her powers, unlike Aslan’s, were limited.”

“Perhaps you are right, but I shall rule in the end, and Queen Lucy the Valiant will die before I’m through, but it will not matter, as I have not been holding the sword that will do the job. Instead, that naïve dryad, Leopold, will be the one who will have much to overcome with regards to this.”

Clarice started to walk away, her head lowered. “You have convinced yourself of everything, Lydia, but your words will never convince me.”

Lydia watched her walk slowly away, and after she disappeared in the distance, the nymph slowly walked in the direction of where she lived. She knew that when Leopold returned, she wanted to be well out of the area.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

As soon as Tumnus had heard the word ‘sacrifice’ emerging from the nymph, something suddenly made him look at his friend. There was a great deal he had held off on telling her. At this moment, he also realized that he truly needed to tell her everything he knew, and not just part of it.

He could feel the tears in his eyes as his contemplations continued. After a few moments, he looked at her. “Lucy, something here doesn’t add up,” he whispered hurriedly as he wrung his hands together and tried to collect his thoughts.

“What do you mean?” she asked weakly, the stinging words from Lydia still cursing through her conscience.

“Last night, Angelina’s mother dragged her away from me as though she was an object as opposed to being a daughter of the wood. My guess is that she probably figured as you did earlier today, that I was involved with her daughter romantically. I did not understand the meaning behind that assumption until we found her earlier today in Aslan’s protection. When I went to retrieve the tea, what did the two of you speak of? I mean; she did tell you something, did she not?”

“She said that her mother had beaten her, and then two centaurs had tried to abduct her,” Lucy whispered. “But what has that got to with what I’ve done?”

“It has a great deal to do with it,” he said as they both regarded the nymph who still lay on the floor. “Back when I was a prisoner of the White Witch, I realized something very significant. It is the fact that there are many here in Narnia who have lost the connection to their emotions. Angelina was trying to find hers, and I believe that is why Aslan wanted us to protect her.”

“But we failed,” Lucy cried. “I failed.”

“No, you are not responsible for what has happened. There exists a magic that is much darker than anything I have encountered in a very long time. That magic is responsible.” As he spoke, he looked at her earnestly. When she did not raise her head, however, he reached over and touched either side of her face. Using his gentle fingers, he tipped her face up so that she was looking into his eyes. “You must listen to me now. Anything I have said up to this moment is not as important as what I must tell you now.”

Lucy nodded, her face now streaked with tears.

“When the White Witch turned me to stone, she did not care or want to care that I had once been a loyal subject to her. To her way of thinking, I had betrayed her. This pride in having been betrayed was much more significant than the creature that I had once been. I know that this means very little to you or makes very little sense, but in it dwells a deeper truth still. It is rather hard for you to understand, but when Lydia attacked you verbally just now, it became even clearer. She did not speak as though sharing an emotional tie with her daughter. Instead, she spoke in a manner depicting that her daughter’s situation will serve her overall objectives. These objectives are to overturn you and your siblings and reinstate the evil that Narnia had lived under for more than a hundred years.”

“She doesn’t love her daughter?” Lucy asked.

Tumnus shook his head. “I don’t think she does, her knocking has ceased, so I can only conclude that she has gone to inform those still loyal to the witch of what has transpired here. This means, dearest Lucy, that if we did not know this before, then we must accept it now. Lydia is a supporter of the White Witch’s memory, she probably knew what was going to happen to her daughter, yet has done nothing to prevent it. Angelina has become what she would deem a necessary sacrifice for her cruel objectives. The witch taught her followers that the sacrifice of family and friends was more important than the simple love that one conveys towards another. With that said, we must get Angelina away from here as soon as possible. None of us are safe now.” He unconsciously glanced towards the door, but within seconds, their embrace had ended and he walked over to the nymph.

Noticing immediately that the impact of the fake cordial had finally stopped, he carefully picked her up and carried her towards the door.

“Tumnus,” Lucy whispered, thus causing him to stop and turn around. “You believe me, don’t you?”

The faun nodded sadly, but spoke, his voice low. “Of course I do, but we must take into consideration that the bottle you tried to use is not the gift you received from Father Christmas. It may look like it, but it is obviously not the same. Someone went through great lengths to create this fake bottle and to switch them out. Someone somewhere is still holding your gift.”

“But who would do such a thing?” she asked, “and why?”

“The same ones who believe that this sacrifice is worth it if it were to reinstate life in Narnia as it had been before you and your brothers and sister emerged from Spare Oom. I would further guess that the rumors about an uprising are true. Someone who has access to your quarters at Cair Paravel has switched out the bottles and left this poison in its place. I fear that given this particular situation, it may be wise for us to return and find out what exactly happened.”

Lucy looked down at Angelina. “What should we do about poor Angelina?” she asked softly.

Tumnus shook his head as he beheld the nymph lying in his arms. “We won’t leave her anywhere, but I have noticed that in this petrified state, she is much heavier than I anticipated.”

“What about her mother?” Lucy asked. “I mean; I just don’t understand.”

“Aside from what I have already explained to you, I too am confused by all of this,” Tumnus admitted softly. “If she was as concerned for her daughter as she was conveying, then I would bet that she would still be here. Something doesn’t feel right about any of this. I have this strange feeling that Lydia knows more than she is saying, and she is using this terrible tragedy as a cover for her true motives.”

Lucy nodded and went into the other room and retrieved the large bag that Tumnus had packed the night before. She opened it and could see that inside were three scarves, baked bread, as well as two jars of marmalade, a blanket, and several books. She removed the books and one of the jars of marmalade and closed it again. Upon picking it up this time, she noticed that it was considerably lighter than before. She took the large bag, strapped it to her back before emerging from the room. Wordlessly, she joined him at the door, her shoulders slumped and her gaze still on the floor. She rested her hand on the door lever and pressed down in order to open the door. Before stepping outside, she peered around it as he had often done in order to check and make sure that no one was in the vicinity before slowly stepping outside.

Holding the door open, she waited and watched dejectedly as Tumnus carried Angelina outside. The bright sunlight was now shining down on them and they could both see that the nymph looked more brown than green, her eyes were wide open and staring blankly at the sky as though she had been shocked from the impact of what Lucy had given her.

Lucy found herself turning away when she saw them. The tears of agony and guilt streamed down over her face.

Tumnus would have loved nothing more in the world than to take her tightly in his arms, hold her and tell her everything was going to be alright. Given the state of things, he knew that he could not do that, and instead took a deep breath before speaking. “I would suggest that we first go to what remains of the Stone Table. That is on the way to Cair Paravel anyway, but if we make it there by nightfall, then chances are we can camp near it and then continue on in the direction of the castle. It usually takes me two days hike to reach Cair Paravel from Lantern Waste by this route. With Angelina now in this state, it will probably take us a little longer.”

Lucy’s spirits plummeted, but she nodded. Seconds later she spoke, her voice dull and lifeless. “Then we must be off,” she said simply.

Tumnus nodded and they started to make their way through the wood.

After walking for several hours, he glanced skyward and noticed that dusk had fallen and that the sky was changing. Instead of it being a bright blue color, the shades of pinks and purples mixed with the already present hues. This gave off a romantic and majestic sense. Wordlessly, Lucy pulled the blanket from the bag and spread it out on the ground. Tumnus placed Angelina gently on top of it and wrapped it snugly around her body. “I think we can safely camp here tonight,” he said as he looked around. “My estimations about reaching the stone table were obviously false.”

Lucy nodded as she bunched up the skirts of her dress and sat down on the ground. The bag, she removed from her shoulders and placed it on the ground before opening it. She rummaged around in it for several minutes before she pulled the loaf of bread out and handed the brown colored package to him. Once he had accepted it, she watched as he pulled several of the pieces out and handed one to her. She shook her head declining.

“My dearest, you must eat something,” he said gently, but when she did not reach for the offered food, he took the incentive, reached out, and captured one of her hands in his and placed the piece of bread in it. “Now eat,” he instructed firmly.

“I don’t know if I can,” she whispered as she stared down at the food she now held. His hand was still gently cupped underneath hers, but after several minutes of silence had passed between them, he slowly withdrew it.

“I know you worry that you cannot, but you must. You will collapse under the pressure if you don’t, and I must carry Angelina,” he said as he inched over to her and wrapped his arm around her and pulled her against his chest. As her wet tearstained face pressed against his warm, bare chest, he gently began to stroke her hair.

They sat this way for several moments and as he held her. After several moments, he began to whisper soft words into her ear. “I believe in you, Queen Lucy Pevensie,” he repeated these words several times until she raised her head and looked at him.

“Thank you,” she whispered her words soft as their embrace broke and the warmth of his hold left her feeling empty inside. Instead of speaking of this, she changed the subject entirely. “You always seem to know what I need, Tumnus.”

He smiled weakly and reached over and took her hand, which held the bread and gently raised it so that it was only inches from her mouth. “If that is the case,” he smiled gently, “then eat this, it will help.”

Lucy reluctantly did as he said and noticed that the food did help ease the sounds her stomach had been making much of the afternoon. Deep inside however, she still felt hollow with guilt and remorse. She watched as he returned their provisions to the bag.

Some moments passed and she leaned over and opened the bag once again and found herself running her hands across the different colored scarves that were inside, the three colors; red, blue and yellow.

Tumnus sat watching her actions and after several moments, he cleared his throat and began to speak. “These were made by my mother. Each color symbolizes a different emotion or feeling.”

Lucy stared at them, her eyes coming to rest on a bright and shimmering blue scarf, a color that seemed to conveniently match the faun’s eyes. “They’re so beautiful.”

“The blue was selected for festivities and celebrations, and contrary to what one may say about the color, the blue scarf was always worn for the midnight dances. My mother made this one with shiny silver strands that Mrs. Beaver’s mother had collected from off the wood of their dam. It looked like jewels from the hairpieces worn by the mermaids. This could explain how it got caught in the wood. At any rate, the kindly beaver gave them to my mother and asked her to make something from them. She did, she made five scarves using these colors, one for each of the three beavers, one for my father, and one for me. As you probably noticed, the beavers have been long time friends of my family, and this was long before my fear had almost betrayed them. It was probably for this very reason that I gave them your handkerchief over anyone else. I knew that if I was arrested and was gone when you returned, that they would be able to guide you and help you to reach Aslan and the Stone Table. If I had been present, then I would have taken the task myself.”

“You would?” Lucy asked.

The faun nodded. “Yes, it would have been the greatest honor in all of Narnia.”

Lucy ran the object between her fingers as she glanced over toward where the nymph lay on the ground. “I betrayed her, Tumnus,” she whispered. “She had started to trust me, and I think she wanted to trust me, and even if Aslan can cure her, she would never be able to trust me again.”

“Lucy, it wasn’t your fault, I think you know that,” Tumnus said. “You could not have been aware that the two bottles had been switched. Listen to reason, dearest, not even General Oreius seemed to be aware of it when he came calling earlier today. I think he was trying to do you a favor.”

“Perhaps, but he didn’t, this was not the right bottle, and now…” her voice trailed off and she swallowed. “I should have known, Tumnus, I should have sensed that something was wrong, dreadfully wrong. Nothing anyone could say will change the fact that Angelina has been turned into a tree and it’s my fault.”

“No,” he shook his head. “You should not ever believe that, because it’s not true. Someone has done something positively dreadful to you, they will answer for it, but you mustn’t believe for even an instant that you are to blame.” Carefully, he pulled her into his arms and held her tightly in his embrace. She wound her arms around him, her body trembling like a leaf and she buried her face against him.

“But I did this to her, you were there, you saw it,” she objected, her voice muffled. “I made her this way.”

Instead of speaking immediately, the faun reached out and with his free hand, he retrieved one of the scarves from the bag and ceremoniously, he unfolded it before wrapping it gently around her shoulders. As she felt the wool against her skin, she raised her head.

Upon seeing the confusion manifested in her eyes, he smiled and began to speak. “The color yellow symbolizes courage and internal strength, Lucy Pevensie. Keep it with you and let the words that it represents help you through all of this. I can only say so much at the moment, but I do understand the feelings you have right now. I have carried similar ones myself. More than anything, I want nothing more than to be with you through all of this. Not because I love you so very much, but because I am your friend above all other things. I will always be your friend and I will be there to help you if ever you need me. No matter what happens between us, our friendship will always be the most important thing to me.”

He began to move her hair out from in front of her tearstained face, and instead of kissing her mouth as he was compelled to do, he brushed his lips against her forehead. Upon feeling this, she collapsed in his arms and began to weep bitterly.

By this time, the sky had grown darker, but the faun remained seated in his uncomfortable position. He kept his gaze locked on Lucy, his expression now filled with sadness. Throughout the night he remained with her, his arms holding tightly to her until she became overwhelmed by exhaustion and eventually slept.

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes as his thoughts literally running away with him. Now was the time for him to be her friend, and only her friend. After all, his own sense of realism told him that he should not allow himself to be carried away by feelings and emotions. He was determined to do all that he could for her. If their love truly was meant to be, then they would have to overcome this first and then salvage whatever remained at a later time.

His gaze shifted and came to rest on the motionless body of Angelina and he swallowed unhappily.

Soon, his eyes began to droop and eventually they closed, and he slept. His arms were still wrapped firmly around Lucy, the scarf she wore now fluttering in the soft Narnian breeze.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Bettina opened her eyes wearily that same evening. Her gaze swept across the room and she took in the bright and cheerful place where she was being held captive. Taking a deep breath, she bit down on her lip when she recognized that Aslan was still present. The lion was lying casually on the rug, his large paws stretched out before him, his eyes half open, half closed. From where she was seated, she could not tell if he was awake, but when she got up and started to make ginger like footsteps towards the window, she quickly found out that he was, in fact, awake.

“Going somewhere?” His voice emerged velvety smooth. This, if anything, aggravated the nymph who seemed dead set on fleeing from the room.

Instead of responding to his smug inquiry, she backed her way up to the bed and sat back down on the floor. She raised her head for a split second, but eventually lowered it again.

For his part, Aslan stood up, and stretched himself out. As he did this, it gave off the impression that he was an oversized housecat instead of a lion. Once he finished, he looked at her. “Have you decided yet?”

“Decided what?” Bettina asked.

“To return what you stole and understand that your actions have already caused others harm. It is really quite simple, either you can recognize your mistakes or run the risk of being caught in a precarious situation by the rightful kings and queens of Narnia,” Aslan said firmly.

“Why should I?” She asked.

“Let me put it to you this way, do you know someone named Angelina?” Aslan asked.

“She’s a stupid idiot, she can’t decide for herself what she wants,” Bettina said with a shrug of her shoulders.

“So for that, she deserves to be put under a spell,” he nodded as he looked at her meaningfully. “Not just any spell, Bettina, but one that could ultimately end her life. This is the result of your actions and you alone are responsible for her plight.”

“What do you mean by a spell?” Bettina asked haughtily, but when she raised her head and her gaze locked with his, her anger diminished. “Aslan, what are you talking about?” she eventually asked.

“I’m talking about the serum that you stole and replaced with poison. I’m talking about the fact that General Oreius has already delivered the poison to the Daughter of Eve and she has sadly used it on Angelina,” Aslan said.

“How would you even know this?” She asked before she could stop herself. “You’ve been in here since I got locked in this room.”

“Let’s just say that there’s a great deal that I do know. I have always known what has happened in Narnia. I knew when a witch came in and used her magic to take over Narnia, or a gift has been switched out for something deadly,” he said firmly. “What was your aim in all of this, Bettina? Did you wish to destroy what Narnia has become, or did you wish to attain some sort of status in the court?”

She shook her head, her black hair falling down either side of her face. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“No I wouldn’t understand not as long as you remain silent. You see, I can only make the attempt if you tell me why you have chosen to do this,” the lion said emphatically. “You have someone’s life on your conscience now, and you have become a traitor without understanding your own rationale for doing it.”

“I do understand,” she shouted before she could stop herself.

“What do you understand?” he asked sternly. “Obviously, you do not seem to care or concern yourself that Angelina has been harmed. Furthermore, it is clear that you are unwilling to rectify things with her, or Lucy, or even with me. But as I said, I have all the time in the world. I can wait.”

She looked up at him. “You killed my parents, I understand plenty.”

“I killed your parents?” he asked.

Bettina looked up. “Yes.”

“Tell me, Daughter of the Forest, how could I have killed your parents? We stood on the same side. Your father was a bold and daring warrior; he gave his life for the restoration of Narnia. His death was tragic, and I stood and watched as a Minotaur stabbed him. Your mother, my Child, was killed and died in the hands of the White Witch. Before King Edmund came forward and destroyed her wand, she had turned your mother to stone and her remains were shattered against the earth.”

“But you could have healed her,” Bettina said angrily. “And you didn’t.”

Aslan shook his head. “Your mother’s statue was reduced to sand during the battle. There were thousands upon thousands of rock fragments left astray after the witch’s death. There was no way for anyone to collect these pieces and restore them,” he said sadly. “Supporting the witch will not bring your parents back. Hating me for their fate will also not cure the hurt and pain that you carry in your heart. I know that you have a heart, because I see the tears in your eyes.”

“I was just a child, and I was left completely alone,” Bettina said softly as she started to pull the bottle out of her pocket. She stared down at it for several moments before raising her head and looking at the noble lion. “No one came to me and told me why they were dead except for Lydia. She told me that you had killed them and that they had been good friends. She went on to say that because her daughter and I were the same age that…that we were like sisters. I grew up thinking that Angelina was a sister and that you were meant to be hated. I lost everything.”

The noble lion shook his head. “Your family and Lydia’s were never on the same side, Bettina. You must know the truth, and that is that your parents nobly fought against the forces that her parents supported. You were never sisters, but you were bound by the unending forces of sisterly love. Tell me, did Lydia ever speak of you making or becoming a sacrifice for the causes she supported?”

“All the time,” Bettina admitted somehow starting to see the truth in Aslan’s words. “She said that sacrifice was necessary. It was a means for making things as they were before. She was willing to sacrifice everything for the causes that the White Witch supported.”

“In other words, she used the fact that you had lost your parents as a means of turning you against all the things they had fought for or believed. You are as much a victim of her actions as Angelina has become,” Aslan responded, his voice softening somewhat. “You innocence was used in very much the same way as King Edmund’s was back when the present kings and queens first stepped foot into Narnia.”

Bettina looked down at the bottle that rested in her hand and shook her head. “But it’s too late, the switch has been made.”

“No, Child, it’s never too late,” he said softly.

“But I didn’t know, Aslan,” she said and somewhere she could feel the tears now streaming down over her face. “Please believe me. I thought I was honoring my parents’ memories. I wanted to believe that what I was doing was for the betterment of all.”

“I think you know deep down inside that this was not for the betterment of all. It was a means in which you could face your grief. As long as you were grieving that which you have lost, then your mind and heart could be altered and changed at the wink of an eye,” he said firmly, his voice neither stern nor soft, but laced in neutrality. “I knew what your intentions and feelings were, Child. Why else do you suppose that I would be this patient and wait for you to return to me what you had taken?”

Bettina ran her hands over the surface of the bottle. “I made a mess of everything, but I truly didn’t know, I thought my parents were on her side.”

“In your heart of hearts, you know that I speak the truth. Your father was a noble warrior, and his sword will one day be passed on to you, but first, you must prove your loyalty to Narnia, and to me, before you receive this gift.”

“His sword?” Bettina asked.

Aslan turned towards the window and then looked back over at her. “Come to me, child, and look upon the window; there the truth will be revealed.”

Bettina slowly approached the noble lion. Standing only inches away from him, she looked into the glass and gasped when she could suddenly see the face of her father staring back at her. She recognized him immediately and the truth of Aslan’s words washed over her when she saw him dressed in the armor of Aslan’s army. His eyes were serene, but he held her gaze. Seconds slowly ticked by and her gaze shifted and she beheld the sword in his hand. The grip of the sword displayed the Narnian lion, Aslan’s likeness, and it was this truth that remained even after the images had faded. “He was with you,” she whispered.

“Yes,” he said.

“I remember vaguely when the war started and how I had been taken away from my home and brought to Lantern Waste. After everything had ended, the witch’s loyalists returned and it was there where I met Lydia and Johann for the first time. Johann had lost his voice, and Lydia blamed you for it.”

“Why me?” Aslan asked.

“You killed the witch, and with that he lost his ability to speak. This was her argument. As long as the witch is dead, then the magic that had been given Johann would die as well. His voice would be destroyed along with her. I didn’t really understand at the time, but this was what she kept repeating. I listened to these words and started to believe her. Angelina…she…” her voice trailed and she shook her head.

“Angelina didn’t believe her mother’s words. Lydia tried with everything inside of her to push that ideal onto her daughter,” Aslan said gently. “Are there more supporters of the White Witch at Cair Paravel, Bettina?”

Bettina shook her head. “It was a rumor, I was the only one.”

“Was?” He asked softly.

She looked up at him and biting down on her lower lip, she nodded sadly. “Forgive me?” She asked, but after several moments had passed and with trembling hands she extended Lucy’s gift back towards the lion.

He shook his head. “As you recall, before you can have your father’s sword, I have a task for you to undertake. You shall not speak of this to anyone, not the kings, or the pages, or even Angelina herself.”

“Not anyone?” she whispered.

“The only one who must know what you have done is Lucy, as it affects her gravely and her life, as things stand, is now in great peril. You must take this bottle to her in the forest. There you will meet up with the three of them at what remains of the Stone Table. You must hurry, as it is a long trip, and dusk is now upon us.”

“You trust me enough to leave me with the bottle with the cordial?” she whispered. As her insecure voice emerged, she ran her hand through her coal black hair and then regarded the noble lion with confusion. “How can you trust one such as me? I did everything wrong, Aslan.”

“All are deserving of forgiveness, Daughter of the Forest. You must now forgive yourself for what you have done wrong. I have already done so because I see your pain, and I know that you were told stories that were untrue,” he said. With that, he leapt through the window as though it was nothing.

She stared for several moments at the lion as he joined her father. She extended her hand towards the glass, in the hope of touching the images, but they suddenly vanished before her eyes.

Alone, the young nymph walked towards the door and with her hand still trembling, she pressed down on the lever and gasped as the door slowly opened. Quietly, she slipped out into the empty corridor and lightly closed the door behind her. With weighted steps, she made her way in the direction of the door that would lead to the stairwell. She placed the bottle in the pocket of her skirt and quickened her pace.

What she didn’t expect was to run straight into King Edmund, who was coming in the opposite direction.

She looked up and made eye contact with the dark-headed king. She backed up and bowed slightly her gaze falling on her feet as the king smiled good-naturedly.

“What’s the rush?” he asked, his eyes literally dancing. He reached out and touched her upper arms with the intention of helping her to steady herself. Once she was no longer looking as though she was going to fall, he lowered his hands once again.

The young nymph shook her head but regarded the young king with gratitude in her eyes. “A thousand pardons, Your Majesty, I-I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

Edmund nodded. “Not to worry, I’ve had days like that myself. Could you answer a question for me, though?”

“What?” She whispered, the intimidation clearly shadowing her features.

“Would you mind telling me what you are doing in this part of the castle?” he asked, his voice neither demanding nor angry, instead it was laced with curious undertones.

“I wish I could say, Sire, but I cannot. I must hurry though.” She smiled shyly at the king and started down the corridor towards the door leading outside.

“Wait, do you need anything?” he asked. “Is there something I can do to help you?”

“No, thank you,” she said as a blush crept up her face. If he knew the truth, he’d have thrown me in the dungeon, she thought for a fleeting instant. “I thank you for your kindness though.” With that, she started to once again make her way through the doorway leading into the stairwell. As she disappeared in the distance, the king was left staring after her.

~~~~~

Edmund watched in confusion as young nymph disappeared in the distance. His attention diverted and he looked out the window. It overlooked a beautiful courtyard where flowers of many different kinds were blossoming. Something about all of this did not make any sense to him and he pondered if anyone would be able to enlighten him on what he had just seen.

As he sank into contemplation, he continued to stare outside at the courtyard through the large window. Seconds passed and immediately he could make out a dark clad figure. It looked to be a female, as she was thin and the dark dress was ruffling out from behind her. She was darting across the courtyard in the direction of the gates that would lead beyond the walls of the castle. _It had to be her,_ he thought. The young nymph’s dark raven black hair, dark cloak, and dress were unmistakable. He continued to watch as she ran and saw how her hair and clothing would flutter about her in the breeze like waves of black silk.

“It’s truly amazing Your Majesty,” a voice suddenly broke into his contemplations and he abruptly turned around. Xavier was standing there and seemed to have witnessed everything. He took several small steps towards the young monarch.

“What do you mean?” Edmund asked. “What is so surprising to you?”

“I cannot say specifically, but there’s something dark and treacherous about her,” the dryad said honestly. “I know this is based strictly on assumptions, Sire, but I cannot let go of it no matter how hard I try.”

“She did seem to carry an air of secrecy about her, but that is not adequate rationale for us to accuse her of being a traitor,” Edmund said, his words a complete depiction of the title he had received at his coronation.

Xavier nodded, “yes, of course you’re right, but something is drastically wrong, and I think you sense it as well.” He pointed down the hall towards a large ceramic container, which was shoved up against the wall.

Edmund walked slowly over to it and looked inside it. “This was Lucy’s plant,” he offered as his confusion mounted. He beheld the remains of the dead plant for several minutes his voice soft when he spoke again. “She had brought this from Lantern Waste to give the corridor a more festive feel. She didn’t forget to care for it, did she? Why does it look like this?”

“I don’t know, it was fine earlier,” Xavier began. “I had been sent to Queen Lucy’s bedchamber to retrieve her gift and when I came back out of the room, I noticed that the plant had crumpled to ash and this was just after Aslan had asked me to lock the door.”

“Aslan was here?” Edmund asked.

Xavier nodded. “Yes, I saw him just after I had retrieved your sister’s gift.” As he was speaking, he followed the king to the window and they both stared out into the courtyard. “I don’t believe that this is mere coincidence, Sire.”

“Yes, but what if it is coincidence? What if we are reading far more into this than necessary?” Edmund mused.

“How can that be if Aslan was here?” Xavier asked.

“I don’t know,” the king answered softly. “But something tells me that perhaps we ought to make my brother and sister aware of these findings. I can’t explain why, but something is simply not settling right with all of this.”

The dryad nodded and the two of them started back down the hall. They entered the stairwell, descended the steps, and entered a second corridor. As they reached the door leading into the throne room, they could hear voices emerging from the other side.

Edmund opened the door and they rushed into the room. As they entered, they could see that Peter and Susan were deep in conversation. They stopped speaking and turned to face them. For his part, the youngest King quickened his pace. Xavier did as well in order to catch up. Edmund called out their names as he came closer and Xavier bowed humbly.

“What is it, Ed?” Peter asked.

“I’m not really sure, but I think something is dreadfully wrong, and we should leave and go and find Lucy,” Edmund said.

“Why?” Susan asked. “You know that she’s with Mr. Tumnus, and he will not let anything happen to her. We should trust her.”

“No,” Edmund shook his head. “It’s not that, Su, something is wrong, I just feel it. Something is not adding up.”

“Your Majesties, please,” Xavier began. “King Edmund is right. We can’t really explain it, but something feels seriously wrong.”

“What could possibly be wrong?” Peter asked.

“You’ve heard the rumors, Sire, I am certain of it, and they have all been started by the same nymph,” Xavier said firmly. “I know that you have very little time to mingle with the castle help, but please, I speak the truth. The rumors were all started by Bettina, a tree nymph who hails from Lantern Waste. She has spoken endlessly of a possible revolt and the rallying together of White Witch supporters. I do not know for certain if there is any validity to these claims, but you must see the plant in order to understand.”

Peter looked at the dryad, “the plant?”

“After Queen Lucy helped Tumnus redo his cave in Lantern Waste, she brought a large potted plant to the castle. She wanted to bring a bit more life into the corridors here. She asked me to help her with it because the plant was far too heavy for her to move around by herself,” Xavier explained. “Now, sadly the plant is dead, but only yesterday it was alive.”

“Yes, but plants do die,” Susan argued.

“Not like this,” Edmund shook his head. “It has literally been reduced to ash, Su. There exists no plant in Narnia or otherwise that could just die overnight. Someone has poisoned it.”

“I think Ed’s right,” Peter said softly. “If what you are both saying about it is true, then something is dreadfully wrong.”

Reluctantly Susan sighed, once more the queen felt outnumbered by her brothers. “I still think you both are trying to charge into battle without any sort of rationale,” she offered.

“Perhaps,” Peter said, “but isn’t it better to be safe than sorry?”

Susan said nothing instead she wordlessly backed away from the two kings. She did not want to admit it, but their concern for Lucy was starting to rub off on her. Something was not right with Lucy, and even she had started to notice it.

“Perhaps there is something connecting all of this,” Peter said. “I think that we’ll know more when General Oreius gets back from Lantern Waste.”

Susan nodded, and politely, she excused herself and left the throne room. Once she was gone Peter looked at the dryad. “Did you hear anything else, Xavier?”

“Not really, everyone in the castle has been talking about it. Yet, the fact remains that all the rumors have been started by Bettina,” came his honest answer. “I am not sure how true they are, but there has been a strange feeling permeating the castle since I first heard about them.”

Peter nodded. “I think we should ride to Lantern Waste ourselves and check on Lucy. I don’t care anymore if she gets angry with us for looking out for her. It was irresponsible of her to leave without saying anything. I had an uneasy feeling before, but now that is melting away to absolute fear that our sister is in danger.”

“If you take Charlemagne, then you could be at Tumnus’ cave by nightfall,” Edmund said. “But then again, it may not be wise for us to go by air, as flying might be a bit too obvious.”

The high king nodded. “Good point, Ed,” he said as he started towards the door that Susan had exited moments before.

Once he was gone, Edmund looked at Xavier. “Do you think that things are as bad as what I think?”

Xavier shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know, Your Majesty,” the dryad said shaking his head. “It’s much too difficult for me to estimate anything.”

Edmund took a deep breath. “My only hope is that Peter will not react to everything in haste.”

“We should trust the High King,” Xavier said softly. “It would do us very little good to doubt his intentions.”

The younger monarch nodded but looked at the dryad. “Thanks, it’s nice to know that besides having so many noble subjects, that I can count many of them among my friends,” he extended his hand to Xavier and waited for the dryad to shake hands with him.

“Why do you do that?” he asked.

“It’s a sort of custom that seals a friendship. Don’t you do anything like that when you discover a new friend?” Edmund asked.

Xavier nodded, and instead of accepting the King’s offered hand, he embraced him. “I guess we do,” he said smiling and Edmund laughed.

“I haven’t had anyone hug me like a friend in a very long time. It feels strange, but it’s nice, and probably much nicer than shaking hands anyway,” Edmund smiled as the two of them left he throne room. “And as my friend, you may not call me ‘Your Majesty’ anymore.”

“I can’t?” Xavier asked. “What should I call you? ‘Your Highness’, perhaps?”

Edmund released a pent-up sigh. “You know, it truly is no wonder Lucy took off,” he grumbled, “all these formalities must have driven her crazy.” He paused. “To answer your question, you will not call me ‘Your Highness’ either, in the future, you will call me simply Edmund, okay?”

Xavier nodded, “thank you, Your…” Edmund raised his hands in negation and Xavier continued. “…I mean Edmund, but I fear it will take some getting used to, please forgive me if I forget now and again.”

Edmund chuckled and nodded. “It’s alright, Xavier, but I do want to thank you for looking out for my sister.”

”I’m just a page, Edmund, I didn’t do much,” he offered humbly.

“But you did,” he said.

“I simply care for Queen Lucy, I think she’s an extraordinary young woman,” he said.

“A woman,” Edmund nodded and smiled. “She is a woman, and maybe that’s the problem, Peter and I never saw it coming. Susan saw it because she was once where Lucy is now, but we kept trying to be older brothers and protect her.

Xavier smiled. “It’s not easy to be an older brother, I have a younger sister too, and one day she came to me and told me that I ought to stop treating her like a child, and let her be. Maybe your sister is the same way.”

“I would be willing to bet the farm on it,” Edmund said without thinking and the dryad looked at him confused, but no words emerged. “Oh sorry,” he smiled. “It means basically that you have just explained a great deal to me.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Lucy opened her eyes and the first thing she noticed was that it looked to be late in the day. From the position of the sun in the sky, she could only surmise what time it was. _How long have I been asleep?_ She pondered, all the while realizing that although she has slept, she was still exhausted. The trip had definitely taken its toll on her, and this was the first time she had actually managed to sleep in what felt like weeks.

She was still tired, even though she had slept nearly an entire day. It had come as a surprise to her that so much time had passed since last night when Tumnus had had told her about the meaning behind the scarves. She yawned and this gave away the obvious fact that she was still very tired.

As she shifted on the ground, she discovered that something was restricting her movement and after rubbing her face with the flat palm of her hand she discovered that she was still wrapped securely in Tumnus’ arms and the faun was fast asleep. She raised her head, immediately noticing that his face was now only inches away from her own, his lips pursed together and his steady breathing peaceful and quiet.

She reached up and touched his lips, her fingertips tracing across them and she hoped in the recesses of her heart that she would not awaken him. _He loves me, and yet my whole world is falling completely apart because of what has happened with Angelina._

“Oh Tumnus, I’m so frightened,” she whispered as she continued to stroke his face with her fingers. “If you weren’t here, I would surely lose myself in all of this.”

As she continued to look at his face, she remembered everything that had happened that previous day. Tears caught in her eyes as she stared into his sleeping face.

Instead of moving, she remained where she was, all the while she could feel the curly hair of his beard as it tickled against one side of her face. She meshed her face up against his, her lips coming to rest against his cheek. She wanted so desperately to kiss his mouth, to feel his lips moving beneath her own. She longed for his hands to stroke her face, but he remained asleep, his arms securely holding her.

_Did all of this really happen?_ She asked herself her for what seemed like the umpteenth time since they had left Tumnus’ cave. He had carried Angelina all this way from Lantern Waste. In the recesses of her heart, Lucy longed for him to carry her in such a way. She longed for him to hold her in the same loving manner as he did when he carried the nymph.

_I should not think in this way,_ the young queen tried to rationalize, Angelina is hurt, and Tumnus has assured her that he sees her as a child. Although, Lucy’s guilt was overwhelming, she wished to the core of her being that she and Tumnus could simply take up where they had left off in his cave. She wanted to feel his hold on her, his lips against hers, but shaking her head, she realized how he had diverted the focus away from that back in his cave. Feeling all the more insecure, she allowed her hold on him to loosen and managed to slowly and back away from him.

All the fantasies seemed to come to a head in the silence of these woods. She longed to have him take her in his arms. She wanted him to tell her he loved her or at least hear him affirm that she was the most important person in the whole of Narnia to him. Yet, the faun remained asleep and Lucy realized that all the things that she longed for would not happen. She had done something terrible and that would never be changed.

_How could he ever love me?_ She asked herself as she glanced in the direction of where the young nymph was lying. She leaned down and brushed her lips across his, and was surprised when they moved somewhat from beneath hers. Within seconds, she could feel his body shifting and abruptly, she backed away from him. As he once more shifted, she felt the shame literally envelop her as she realized that she had woken him.

“Lucy?” Tumnus whispered as he opened his eyes and wearily shifted. It was obvious that his body was sore from having slept sitting up. He quickly dismissed any possible pain he may be experiencing when he saw the haggard looking woman before him. He remembered how he had held her when she cried just before drifting off to sleep. He could still see the yellow scarf that wound around her neck. The object was still wafting gently in the breeze and he reached over and touched her face. “My dearest Lucy,” he whispered as he felt the moistness against her cheek. “Whatever is the matter?”

She shook her head sadly. “I was just thinking,” she began and shook her head.

“Thinking?” he asked, “what about?”

“A lot of things,” she whispered as she shook her head. “I woke up and was thinking about…about you and what I did to Angelina.” She raised her head and looked at him only to lower it some seconds later as the next words literally tumbled out. “Oh Tumnus, how could you love such a creature as me? I brought harm to a child. I made all these terrible things happen.”

“No, you didn’t,” he said shaking his head. At the same time, he moved slowly over to her so that he was seated right next to her on the ground. Gently, he pulled her into his arms and she rested her head against his shoulder. Her legs, like his were stretched out before her, and she could feel the fur that covered his slightly brushing against her own. Instead of paying it any mind, she simply waited for him to continue speaking. “You are not at fault for any of this, Lucy.”

She lowered her head. “All the things we said to each other in your cave seemed to have died into nothingness when…when she…when I…” she closed her eyes and shook her head. As she did, the tears spilled down over her cheeks and she once more bit down on her lip.

The faun, feeling shyness enveloping him, reached over and touched her lower lip. This simple action forced her to release the hold she had on it. “They didn’t die, my dearest, they never will,” he said. Sighing, he knew that he wanted nothing more than to kiss her, but feeling intimidated about doing that a second time, he continued to run his finger along her lip instead.

After some moments, she released her lip, but could still feel two of his fingers as they gently stroked her dry lips. Self-consciously, she opened her mouth somewhat and tried to moisten her lips with her tongue. The faun chuckled softly when he could feel her tongue lightly against his fingers. Wordlessly, he probed her lower lip down ever so slightly, not enough that he could see the recesses of her mouth, but rather so that he could touch some moistness from behind her lip. He continued this action and smiled as her eyes slowly closed.

_Who needed a flute to put another in a trance?_ He asked himself with a small smile. After several moments had passed, he felt her body literally swaying until she collapsed against him. Instead of speaking, he continued what he was doing. He seemed unaware of the impact that this was having on her. All he knew was that he wished that he could do with his lips what he was now doing with his fingers.

For her part, Lucy could only sit and anticipate his eventually overcoming the shyness and giving her a kiss. The faun’s shyness and insecurity seemed to emanate him in the manner in which he touched her mouth. She opened her eyes to see that he was deep in concentration, but through it all, he kept himself distanced from her. She could almost tell what he was feeling, but it still prevented him from making any advances to her. The kiss in his cave had been wonderful, but it made her long internally for more.

_I shouldn’t do this,_ her mind was screaming, but she could not take anymore. She wanted to feel his lips against hers to such an extent that she felt as though she was going to go completely mad. _Tumnus, kiss me,_ her mind screamed, but she could tell by looking at him that he didn’t trust himself to do so. At that moment, she was also not sure if she even had the courage to take the incentive.

Without thinking, she finally allowed her tongue to brush across his fingers, her eyes remaining closed. In the pit of her stomach, she could suddenly feel the virtual butterflies as they began to flutter uncontrollably about. “Tumnus,” she whispered softly, her one word fading immediately as she suddenly felt a new sensation against her lips, and this replacing his fingers, which were now gently stroking either side of her mouth. She opened her eyes and realized that what she longed for the most was now happening. The faun was gently touching her face, his lips now pressed lovingly against her own.

As the realization of what was happening washed over her, she could feel herself swept away in a literal hurricane of emotion. She raised her arms and wound them around him and held him as tightly as she could, her mouth unconsciously opening and the kiss intensifying. Tumnus maintained a gentle and secure hold on her, the kiss still polite and careful, regardless of how the passion of the moment was literally starting to drag both of them in.

Seconds later the kiss abruptly broke and she felt him pushing her gently, but firmly away. She opened her eyes, the abrupt distance he made with her suddenly making her feel chilled and very empty inside. “What is it?” she asked weakly looking at him.

“We must stay quiet, there’s someone in the area, I heard it just now,” he whispered as he looked around the area nervously. Seconds later, she could hear the same sounds emerging and she could feel him pulling her towards a crop of shrubbery. This acted as a means to conceal them from being caught out in the open.

As soon as they were securely hidden, she watched as a dryad approached, his silhouette somehow threatening, but no words were spoken.

Tumnus ducked as the dryad turned and looked towards where they were hiding. It was obvious that he did not see them. The faun looked up and when he recognized who it was, he nudged Lucy. “It’s Leopold,” he whispered, “but what is he doing here? He’s never ventured this far away from Lantern Waste before.”

Lucy shook her head. She was still not sure why their rendezvous had been so abruptly interrupted or who Leopold even was. Before she could even ask Tumnus any of the questions that seemed to hang in the air, the branches that concealed them were suddenly shoved to one side and she was left looking up into a pair of angry brown eyes.

“Where is she?” The dryad demanded once he made eye contact with them, his eyes filled with hate as he regarded the faun and the young queen who were helplessly trying to hide from them.

For whatever reason, Lucy could suddenly feel fear gripping her. Leopold looked angry, and that anger seemed to be directed more so towards her than to Tumnus. “Who are you looking for?” she somehow found the courage to ask.

He reached out and with one hand had grabbed Lucy by the scruff of her dress and jerked her to her feet. Even standing, Lucy was considerably shorter than Leopold. Despite her unwillingness to show the extent of her fear, the young queen started to tremble. As the hold grew tighter, she felt herself reaching up and trying to fight futilely against the hold that now held her captive. 

“Where is she?” he demanded.

“Who do you seek?” she managed as she began to gasp for air.

“You know perfectly well who I seek,” Leopold seethed. “Where is Angelina? What have you done to her?” He began to shake Lucy until she became dizzy and began to whimper softly.

By this time, Tumnus had stood up and began speaking, his voice a firm shout. This was a tone of voice that Lucy had never heard from him, and it came as a complete surprise to her. “Release her!” For a split second, Lucy was taken aback by the insistence in his voice. She could simply not remember a time when she heard Tumnus raising his voice.

“Why should I? She murdered my love,” Leopold snapped, his eyes scanning the area. When he suddenly spotted Angelina was lying defenseless and unconscious on the ground, his hold on Lucy tightened. This caused Lucy to gasp as she tried without success at prying his fingers loose.

“Let me go, it was an accident,” she managed. “I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.”

Leopold looked down at her, his eyes glowering in anger. “Well, you pretty little Daughter of Eve, I can make accidents happen as well,” he hissed, his hold tightening. With every second that passed, Lucy could feel her life flashing before her eyes.

_He’s going to kill me,_ she thought desperately. She tried with all her might to struggle against his hold.

Seconds passed and he continued to speak, his words a low hiss. “I know what you did. Lydia told me everything that happened. She told me how you both ran from Lantern Waste because you wanted to try and discard the body instead of returning Angelina to her family where she belonged.”

Lucy shook her head still trying to gasp for breath. “No,” she managed to speak, but this only caused Leopold’s anger to intensify.

“You killed her, Lydia said she saw you do it,” he hissed.

“Lydia speaks of her daughter as a necessary sacrifice to reinstate the evil that had come to Narnia during the White Witch’s reign. Do you honestly think that Lydia intends to keep Narnia at peace? She has an objective, Leopold, and she has dragged you straight into it.” Tumnus reached a hand out towards Lucy’s hand and watched as she flailed helplessly in the dryad’s arms. “You believe that Queen Lucy did something to hurt Angelina, but everyone who listens to the venom that emerges from Lydia is harming Angelina even more. I saw her practically drag her daughter away. As she did, she asked her what she was doing talking to the likes of me.”

“I don’t believe you,” Leopold snapped, and the next thing he did took Tumnus by absolute shock and sadness. With all his might, he moved his hands so they were gripping Lucy’s upper arms, and abruptly pushed Lucy away, the force sending the defenseless queen flying. Her body rammed full force against a tree and the faun watched as his beloved hit it and crumpled to its base. Her head hit it hard, the impact causing her to lose consciousness. As she hit the ground, blood started to stream from her mouth and nose and the bright redness of it dribbled down over the dress she wore.

“Lucy,” Tumnus’ one word emerged as an agonized wail. Without so much as a thought, he raced to her side and sank to the ground, and looked down at her as Leopold drew a sword and came closer to the faun. As he reached him, the tip of it was now inches from Tumnus’ chest. Suddenly, he stopped as he found himself staring at Angelina’s body on the ground. Without thinking about whether or not Tumnus could pose him any further danger, the sword hit the ground with a clatter. He rushed over to the nymph’s body and stared down at her unmoving form.

Lowering his hand, he touched her face and gasped when her face felt like dried out leather. After several moments he raised his head and looked at Tumnus. The faun was now sitting at Lucy’s side, her head resting in his lap and the blood smearing across his hands as he tried to stop the bleeding.

“What have you done to her?” The dryad shouted angrily as he started to get to his feet. The faun watched as he started to retrace his steps in order to retrieve the sword that lay untouched on the ground.

Tumnus did not respond to this question at all, instead, he sat as still as a statue and cradled Lucy’s upper torso in his arms. He could see the blood as it continued to dribble down over her face, the sticky red substance now meshing against the fur that covered the underside of his arm. What he seemed not to pay much attention to was that Leopold had reached the sword and held it up with the intention of using it. Before he could, however, a strong gust of wind blew through the area. Leopold lost his footing and fell to the ground, the sword sticking in the ground.

For his part, Tumnus raised his head when he felt his scarf wafting in the breeze. He watched as Leopold managed to retrieve the sword and came closer.

“No,” he whispered as he cowered over her, his body acting as a shield to protect her. He inhaled sharply, his thoughts somehow returning to his father. I’m not ready to die, he thought desperately, but he raised his head as the wind continued to blow. Leopold stood directly over them, the sword readied to purge into the Faun’s chest.

Seconds passed as his breath caught in his throat. “Aslan,” he whispered.

Leopold’s eyes widened upon hearing the faun’s single word emerging. Abruptly, he turned around to see that Aslan was, in fact, standing in the clearing and was regarding them. The noble lion shook his head sadly, but instead of going to Leopold, he walked around the dryad and approached Tumnus.

“My children,” he whispered and Tumnus raised his head.

“Aslan?” the faun whispered his name a second time. “I didn’t intend for any of this to happen, you have my word, it was never intended.” As he spoke, he stared down at Lucy’s gaunt face.

“I know Son of the Forest,” the lion said gently and glanced towards Leopold. “Many of my people have lost themselves because they listened to the lies and deceit of another. You yourself have allowed this to be done. As a result, you have brought undue harm to Lucy Pevensie.” He looked at the dryad. “They have tried to speak with reason to you, but you refused to listen to your heart. You wanted to believe that it was Lucy who intended to harm Angelina, but it was in fact, Lydia’s initial plan to switch the cordials. She used Bettina in order to carry out this act, just as she used you to bring harm to those who are loyal to me.”

“Bettina?” the dryad spoke as he looked up, “she did this?”

“She was convinced by Lydia to carry out this action, yes,” the lion said softly.

“Aslan, can you help her?” Leopold asked nervously.

“I will help her, not because you have asked it of me, but because she does not deserve to be used as a tool for revenge, whether it be Lydia’s or your own.” Aslan went over to the unmoving nymph and with a soft breath, Angelina was healed.

Leopold watched as Angelina opened her eyes and looked up to see the noble lion standing before her.

“Aslan?” she whispered as she rubbed her eyes and sat up, the blanket, which covered her, she shoved to one side. Unlike the other time she had seen the mighty lion, this time she regarded him with wonder. “It wasn’t a dream.”

“No, child, it wasn’t,” the lion responded gently.

“What happened?” She asked.

“A very long story,” he responded softly. “But, it is a story that will have a happy ending, so long as Leopold here doesn’t try to defend the ones who created this problem in the first place. My dear child, it was not the Daughter of Eve who brought intentional harm to you, it was the judgments of others, which were completely unjustified.”

“I wouldn’t have judged Queen Lucy, Aslan,” the nymph said softly. “She was kind to me, and I knew that she meant me no harm.”

Aslan nodded, but his attention soon diverted and he found himself looking at Tumnus. The faun sat on the ground listening, but his eyes were on the injured queen; his dearest, loving, and kind Lucy. What has she done to deserve this? He pondered, but instead of speaking, he waited until the lion had spoken to him.

“You must go to the Stone Table,” Aslan said.

Tumnus nodded and for a split second, he closed his eyes. “Aslan, what about Lucy?” he eventually asked. “Can you not do something for her?”

The lion sadly shook his head, the golden mane flowing from side to side. “I want you both to journey to the Stone Table, Tumnus. There you will meet someone who has the real cordial and they can administer it and save Lucy’s life,” he said. “Leopold, you will return home and tell them what you have seen here. You must do this so that the judgments of others cannot bring further harm to Lucy or to her siblings. I want you to verify that you have seen me, and that you have also seen Angelina alive and well. It is important that you deliver this message as it will reaffirm the truth. The Sons and Daughters of Adam and Eve are the rightful rulers of Narnia. You must understand that all judgments of Queen Lucy were tools of manipulation and were completely without any sort of justification.”

“What about Angelina?” he asked and looked at the nymph. “I want to stay with you, to go where you go.”

“No, you must do as Aslan has instructed,” Angelina said softly and shook her head. “I must go with Queen Lucy and Tumnus to Cair Paravel,” the nymph answered before Aslan could speak. “There is little, if no, point in my returning to Lantern Waste, especially knowing that the hate that spews from my mother is still spreading. My presence there would only perpetuate the problem as opposed to solve it. I know that you can help bring all of these events to a close. Leopold, Aslan has made the wisest decision in having you go back and resolve this with the others. If they know the truth, then they will have very little reason to follow my mother’s whims.”

Leopold nodded and returned his sword to its sheath and started to walk back in the direction of Lantern Waste. After several minutes, he stopped and turned around. “Aslan, what if they won’t listen to me?”

“You will have done your best,” the lion said. “Now it is time for you to make right the wrongs you have caused, and that means following my instructions.”

The young dryad nodded and within seconds, he walked away only to disappear several moments later.

Once he was gone, the lion turned and faced Tumnus. “You have found a true friend in Angelina, my dear Tumnus. Neither of you should allow a misunderstanding to rule your lives. Prejudices and hate bring more trouble to Narnia than anything else, and you know deep in your heart that your father would not wish for you to harbor hate towards the innocent ones. For it is not Angelina’s actions that brought harm to your father, but that of another.”

“It would be the same as me disliking King Edmund for having betrayed me, wouldn’t it?” Tumnus asked softly.

Aslan nodded. “Yes,” he affirmed. “Not everyone who is your senior in age is going to automatically be smarter or wiser than you, Tumnus. Just as your old teacher pushed his own prejudices and emotions onto you, does not mean that you ought to feel obligated to follow them. He fed these emotions into your heart, and your second meeting with Angelina was tainted as a result. Just remember; your experiences are a very special and extraordinary thing, they have the ability to grant you friends.” He cast a fleeting glance down at Lucy. “These same feelings have also enabled you to run straight into the arms of another whom you are destined to share your life.”

“You mean, there is something that exists between Lucy and me?” Tumnus whispered as he looked down at her pale, but unmoving, face.

Aslan did not respond, but there existed something in the lion’s eyes seemed to convey that answer much better than his words ever could.

~~~~~

As soon as Aslan had departed, Tumnus took a deep breath and looked at Angelina. “I’m glad that you’re okay now,” he said softly.

“You carried me all this way?” she asked incredulously.

He shrugged his shoulders and wordlessly nodded.

“Thank you,” she offered weakly. “I know that it is not easy for you to have me around.”

“No, I should never have used all of this as an excuse to get upset with you,” he said softly. “Aslan is right, you are not to blame for what happened to my family, but all of this has been very trying for me. When I see Lucy in this state, it saddens me deeply.”

“How did she even end up in this state?” Angelina asked softly. “When I woke up, the only thing I saw was Aslan, and then I saw Queen Lucy lying injured in your arms.”

“Leopold had been brainwashed,” Tumnus said simply. “That’s all you need to know, his ignorance could not be helped.”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know, somehow I get the impression that I have an angry boyfriend who goes about and causes all the trouble.”

“He did, but you didn’t,” Tumnus said softly as he picked Lucy up in his arms and lovingly held her in his embrace, as he started to walk, his head down and his gaze on the young queen’s blood-covered face.

“I don’t know anymore,” she said softly, her words causing him to stop and turn around. “You helped me, even though you had no reason to. I figured that you had every reason in the world to hate me.”

“As I said before, I do not hate you,” Tumnus said, but there was a hidden edge in his voice. The resentment he carried because of the situation had been building, and now his beloved Lucy was in danger. He was at a loss as to what to do. Why had Aslan not been able to help her? He could have, but did not.

He continued to slowly walk and after several minutes he stopped and waited for Angelina to catch up with him. He could tell that the young nymph was now inconsolable. Her head was lowered and her eyes were staring shamefully at the ground. He remembered how she had been the first time they had met and later how his behavior had changed. He had changed, she had not, but in the recesses of the faun’s heart, he could tell how defeated she felt, he had often felt the very same way.

“Perhaps we can afford to stop for a moment,” he said softly as he got down on the ground with Lucy still resting in his arms. Once he had shifted her body somewhat, he managed to sit on his knees, his hooves beneath the weight of his body. He watched as Angelina sat down on the ground and after several moments of silence passed between then, he looked at her.

“You were very brave back there,” he said softly but watched as she started to pick imaginary lint from her clothing.

“Was I?” she asked.

“Yes, much braver than I was the first time I met Aslan,” he said softly. “I had been turned to stone by the White Witch and Aslan restored me. I was so scared of him. How would he react to me? I was under her service, under her thumb, but yet he forgave me and I found a true friend in Lucy. I remember when we first met, and how I was crying and she comforted me, her soft voice somehow giving me courage that I didn’t know I had.”

“My father betrayed your father, Tumnus,” Angelina said softly.

“I know, but you didn’t betray anyone, Angelina, you were an infant back then, and you grew loyal to Aslan even though you didn’t know why it had even come about. Your love for the good of Narnia blossomed in you even though you were persuaded to do otherwise. Somewhere inside of you, you believed in a free Narnia,” he said softly. “It would be wrong of me to hold that against you.”

“My family brought you so much pain, and I remind you of that,” Angelina lowered her head, the hair falling down over either side of her face.

Tumnus reached over and touched the top of her head. “No, you do not. The truth is, to some extent, I allowed the witch to control me. I was expected to look for evil or badness in this Daughter of Eve and I found none. Instead I found that…”

“…You love her?” Angelina interrupted him.

“Yes, I do probably more than I love Narnia, my life, or anything,” he said softly as he stroked Lucy’s cheek lovingly. “I suppose that I knew how much I love her, but I also realized that I had nothing to offer her. She is such a precious and wonderful girl, and yet, I cannot offer her the riches of kingdoms or gold as she deserves.”

“But you love her, and that’s all anyone could ever ask for,” Angelina said softly. She lowered her head so that he would not see the tears that were streaming down over her face. “Tumnus, my family has a lot, we’re probably one of the richest in Lantern Waste, but all that gold cannot buy love, it cannot even come close. If only my mother had loved me in the manner she should love a daughter then I would have known beyond any doubt what happiness truly was,” she paused as she felt the tears touching her lips and licking them, she could taste their saltiness. “They never loved me, they only cared when their conditions were met, but they had lost their hearts a long time ago.”

Tumnus looked down at Lucy and then at the nymph who sat across from him. “You’re lonely.”

She nodded sadly but tried to bravely wipe the tears away. “I could have everything I wanted, materially, but to have someone else love and consider me to be the most important in all of Narnia would be the greatest treasure of them all.”

He nodded. “There is so much I took for granted.”

She raised her head for a moment. “You have more riches than you think. It’s not about how much one has it is about the love that they can share.”

“What will the other three monarchs say?” he mused.

“Don’t worry about them. You’re not in love with them, you’re in love with Lucy, and I have this strange feeling that she loves you as well. She told me back in your cave that you are the most loving and accepting in all of Narnia. If she didn’t love you, she wouldn’t have said that.” Angelina closed her eyes for several moments before opening then and seeing that he was still sitting on the ground with her unmoving body resting in his arms.

Seconds later, he lowered his head and stared into her face. He remembered the kiss they had exchanged before Leopold had appeared and shattered the moment. Now, as he stared into her unmoving face, he could not stop the tears from streaming down his cheeks. He truly loved her, but now, in the wake of her being injured, there were many things that he knew had been left unsaid.

He leaned over her and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. When her mouth did not move from beneath the gentle pressure, the faun found himself breaking down. As the tears streamed down his face, they landed on Lucy’s.

Angelina stared for several moments and could feel the tears streaming from her own eyes. _If only someone loved me as much as he does her,_ she thought sadly. She knew that Leopold cared for her, the dryad had always had a soft spot in his heart for her, but she did not dare to believe it. She had been his classmate and remembered the merry days of their youth. Now things with him had changed since he had listened to her mother instead of to reason.

Shrugging off all of these thoughts, she eventually got to her feet and went over to him. “We should continue, Aslan said we must go to what remains of the Stone Table.”

Tumnus nodded and with Lucy still cradled in his arms, he managed to stand up and they started to slowly move in the right direction. As they walked, Angelina looked at him. His eyes were no longer shining, in fact, their dullness tugged at her heart. “Tumnus?” she eventually spoke his name and he turned around.

“Yes.”

“When we get to the Stone Table, everything will be made right again,” she said softly. “Won’t it?”

“I hope so, but if Aslan said it would be, then we must trust him,” he said.

“I trust him, he’s like my family,” she said softly. “I guess that sounds stupid though doesn’t it?”

“No,” he shook his head. “Aslan is like the big brother to all of us here. He’s the truest king. Even Lucy said that her brother, the High King Peter heeds Aslan’s words as law over all of Narnia.”

“My mother says that Jadis is the true queen,” Angelina whispered. “I just couldn’t believe her.”

“Jadis was an evil witch, Angelina. She cast a horrible spell over the whole of Narnia, and the only thing that could save us from her rule was the prophecy that brought the children out of their world and into Narnia. Lucy was a child when she first came to Lantern Waste. She was so innocent and inquisitive. She was always asking me questions, one after the other about the ways of the fauns, and what the midnight dances were like. The question that touched me the most was when she looked at me and asked, ‘what are you?’ There was something very innocent and caring in her manner.”

“She still is caring,” Angelina said with a small smile. “It’s funny that you would mention the dances, I don’t ever remember having attended one. The celebration from a few days ago was not a midsummer night dance.”

Tumnus flushed but shook his head. “No, Lucy’s never been to one either, but yes, they are rather lively affairs. Perhaps one day instead of talking about it with both of you, I shall take you to one, but not just yet.”

“She’s not a little girl anymore; she’s a woman.” Angelina objected. “Why can’t you take her?”

“I would have no trouble taking her, but taking you might be harder, because you are still quite young.” When she scowled, he smiled before changing the subject. “Angelina, you don’t blame Lucy or me for what happened to you, do you?”

The nymph shook her head. “The last thing I remember was lying on the floor in your cave and then tasting something absolutely dreadful. The next thing I remembered was opening my eyes and seeing Aslan standing over me. He was looking down at me with more love and understanding than anything that I could imagine. It was too beautiful a moment for me to be afraid. Does that make sense?”

“It does,” he said nodding. “It sounds rather similar to what I experienced just after Aslan helped me. It was soon after the witch had turned me into stone.”

Angelina looked at Lucy’s unmoving body and sighed. “You know something?”

“What?” he asked.

“Regardless of what happened, I could never hate her. I guess I knew deep down inside that there was a reason for everything that happened. She’s too caring to allow something or someone to hurt another. As queen, she must always take things into consideration and think of the repercussions of her actions.” She looked up at him, tears brimming from beneath her eyes. “Right?”

The faun nodded, but bit down on his lip as the truth of Angelina’s words hit him like a runaway train. His love for the young queen would have repercussions, and it was at that moment when his heart felt as though it was going to break into thousands of pieces. She would have to take a great many things into consideration before she would determine whether love shared with a humble faun would be enough.

Without speaking, he continued to trudge along, his thoughts remaining unspoken and the silence seemed to literally consume them both.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

When Edmund broached the subject with his brother the following morning over breakfast, Peter was annoyed. Although he had managed to organize a group who would journey to Lantern Waste later that day, he was still awaiting word from General Oreius.

“Ed, I don’t agree with your summation of things,” Peter was saying as he smeared some jam over a piece of bread. “Lucy is not yet grown.”

It was obvious that the subject of Lucy’s womanhood was not going to be a topic of discussion. The High King had already decided what Lucy was, and there was no arguing with him. Xavier and Edmund listened, but nothing further was said. 

Instead, it was Susan who had heard enough and she adamantly replaced the serviette and looked at her older brother. “You did the same thing with me, Peter. You have been trying to play father to all of us at one time or another since we’ve been here, and now you are doing this with Lucy. It’s hardest on her because she is the youngest and you don’t want to admit that she’s grown up.”

“Lucy needs protection,” Peter objected.

“Lucy needs respect,” Susan shot back. “No one is denying your role as the eldest here, Peter, but Ed is right. Since the rumors have started, you have refused to heed my suggestions, saying that I am wrong, that I have no idea what I’m talking about. Her letter was blatantly clear, we have all been treating Lucy like she’s a baby, and she is not a baby anymore.”

As these words emerged, the door opened and General Oreius entered the dining hall. “I have just returned from Lantern Waste,” he offered in greeting, his eyes scanning the room until they came to rest on Peter.

“Very good, and did you find out anything?” Peter asked his sister’s words obviously no longer important to him.

“Nothing, Queen Lucy seemed rather put out by my presence there,” he admitted.

“Put out?” Peter asked.

“She knew what my intentions were, upon arriving and she seemed rather annoyed by it,” Oreius affirmed. “She went on to say that she wished for me to tell you that she will return to Cair Paravel after some time and at her own discretion. She wishes for you to trust that she is capable of taking care of herself.”

“Did she mention Mr. Tumnus?” Peter asked.

“She said that he would be with her when she was to return, and that on the eve of her departure, she would send word that she was planning to return,” Oreius said.

“Were there any indications that she and Mr. Tumnus are more than just friends?” Peter asked.

“No, if there is anything going on between the two of them, then they have managed to keep it a secret,” Oreius said. “I thought you might find this to be interesting.” As he spoke, he pulled the sword from his pack and taking the blade, he extended the object to the High King.

“What is this?” Peter asked.

“Look at the grip,” Oreius said and Peter did as he suggested. “That should explain quite a bit, I fear.”

On the grip of the sword was a lightening bolt that extended from one end to the other. The sword was unlike anything he had ever seen before, but Edmund leaned over and looked at the object from over his elder brother’s shoulder.

“Where did you get this?” he demanded as he raised his head.

“The Beaver said he found it in Lantern Waste just prior to a celebration. He said that he was not sure where it came from, but that he felt safer in knowing that it was brought to Cair Paravel instead of being left at anyone’s disposal out there. I initially thought that the nymph called Angelina would be coming for it, but Mr. Tumnus and Lucy seemed to have taken it upon themselves to look out for her even after I told them of her traitorous family and connections. They said that it was upon Aslan’s orders that they protect her.”

“Aslan ordered this?” Peter asked.

“Aslan was here,” Xavier said softly. “He asked me to lock the door to Queen Lucy’s chamber after I was sent to receive the vial with the cordial.”

“I take it he didn’t say specifically why he wanted you to do that?” Susan asked.

“No, but apparently, he knows more about what is happening with Lucy than any of us,” Xavier said.

“Did anyone else see something?” Peter asked his eyes still on the sword. “And might I be so bold to inquire what this sword has to do with all of it?”

“The sword is from the White Witch’s army,” Edmund said softly. “These symbols dictate loyalty to her, and her alone.”

“Then if it was found in Lantern Waste, then you were right, there could be an uprising,” Susan said, the color fading from her otherwise rosy cheeks.

“Perhaps I should have stayed there, then,” Oreius offered. “The beaver said that he didn’t really hear that much about the witch’s supporters rising up against you, but he also said that the rumors that he had heard ceased to be rumors when he saw this sword next to the lamppost.”

“Why would someone leave it at the lamppost?” Susan asked.

“I would surmise that it was left as a symbol,” Oreius said. “The lamppost has often been used as a symbol of something that has the potential of surviving the test of time.”

“That’s strange,” Susan mused.

“Why, Su?” Peter asked.

“Well, according to Narnian history, the lamppost was created by the witch,” Susan said. “It was said that she came out of another world and brought a metal staff with her, and when she threw the staff, it rammed itself into the ground. From there, it grew like a tree and into the present day lamppost.”

“So whoever placed the sword next to the lamppost must have known Narnian history and could have made that sort of symbolic connection,” Edmund said.

“Yes, and although it’s just an assumption, it seems rather uncanny that both items have a connection to the witch,” Susan offered but looked at Oreius. “What do you suggest we do?”

“My first suggestion would be to find Queen Lucy, she may be in danger, but my other suggestion is to send a small regiment to Lantern Waste straightaway to see if there is some element of truth to the rumors. Perhaps through that, we can find out where Johann is hiding.”

“Johann?” Peter asked. “Who is Johann?”

The centaur took a deep breath. “Before I joined Aslan’s army and several seasons before the White Witch had taken Narnia under her thumb, Johann was my friend. He was also a professed friend of Tumnus’ father. Yet, something miraculous happened soon after Tumnus’ father and Johann became friends. Johann had been mute since birth, no words emerged from him, and he lived much of his life as an outsider. His inability to speak had consumed him to such a degree that he had become obsessed with the idea of one day talking. His greatest wish was to speak, not with his hands or signs, but with his very own voice.”

“What happened to him?” Edmund asked. “Did he ever speak?”

“Eventually, yes he did, but many of us, Tumnus’ father included, recognized something dark and evil that had infused him. We believed that the more we thought about and discussed it, the more likely it appeared that the witch had her hand in this and had given him his voice. The reason is, when he would use it, there was a sort of hatred that laced his every word. He spoke often about revolting against the rebels who he had heard were setting up secret meetings at the Stone Table. Many of us thought he was simply talking nonsense, but much to all of our horror and shock, we eventually had no choice but to believe that he was not just talking. Something absolutely terrible had started to happen in Narnia.”

“What was it?” Susan asked.

Oreius took a deep breath. “Our friends began to disappear one after another, and our cause was forced to go underground until Aslan returned Narnia. Anyone who was noble to him or spoke of the prophecy of the four thrones would simply vanish right out from under our noses.”

“Tumnus’ father soon discovered that he was next to be captured by the witch’s secret police. Being from a family of intellectuals, it did not take much for him to figure out who the betrayer was, and so he fled from his home, from Lantern Waste and from his family. He figured that the witch would leave his son and wife alone, but that wasn’t the case. Tumnus’ mother was captured and turned to stone. We never saw her again, and it was said that her statue was shattered and the pieces were tossed into Archenland.”

“That same magic that destroyed Tumnus’ mother would later be used to capture his father, although he had always been a very brave faun, his picture still hangs in Tumnus’ cave.”

“That was why the picture on the floor had caught Lucy’s interest when we found Mr. Tumnus’ cave destroyed. She didn’t say at the time that it was his father. We could only assume that it must have been him because of the way she reacted to it,” Susan said and looked at her siblings. “Do you remember?”

Edmund swallowed, “I remember, I had unintentionally stepped on it.”

Oreius looked at the three of them. “Shall I continue?”

“Yes, please do,” Peter said.

“When the betrayer’s name came to light, Tumnus’ father was already safely at the Stone Table, but the heartache he carried, the guilt over his wife’s fate was too much for him to bear. His son was now in danger, and he knew it. His only option was to return to Lantern Waste with us and help to bring his son out of the area. Yet, that plan never came to pass, for Johann had caught wind of it and had hastened to inform the witch of these intentions. This is why Tumnus was forced to become a kidnapper. The witch had given him two equally unappealing options, either do as she says, or suffer the same fate as his beloved mother had. Meanwhile, Tumnus’ father continued to write letters to his son hoping that he would convince him to leave Lantern Waste. No one really knew if Tumnus had actually received those letters. His father figured he had nothing to lose, but in essence, he had already lost everything. After the first battle against the witch’s minions, he was deemed a traitor and killed. I saw it happen, and I tried to save him, but was too late.

“After his passing, we all agreed that the Stone Table was too obvious a meeting place and so Aslan’s loyalists would secretly meet throughout the woods to the east of this castle. It was said that all creatures of Narnia who believed in Aslan would come to this place and find sanctuary. We sought the very same sanctuary that Your Majesties sought when you first arrived in Narnia. But, when you destroyed the last of the witch’s loyalists, many went unaccounted for, and one of them was Johann. I am guessing that he is still in sanctuary somewhere in Lantern Waste, but I have no proof, at least not until now. This sword must have belonged to him; it has all the markings of a weapon that would be used by someone of his stature. I believe that he is trying to organize a revolt against you.”

Peter sighed. “So we will have to go back to Lantern Waste. I think we should leave as soon as possible, and do so by way of the Stone Table.”

“Why should we go that way?” Edmund asked.

“Well it’s on the way there from here. Besides, if Aslan is back in Narnia, that’s probably the most obvious place in which to meet him,” Peter said.

The others agreed and soon they had adjourned to their various rooms in order to pack. This time, instead of staying behind, Susan was bound and determined to come along.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Bettina was shivering uncontrollably by the time she reached what was left of the Stone Table. It was late in the evening and her eyes were beginning to droop. She slowly made her way up the stone steps leading to it.

She had always been fearful of the large stone structure, but never really know why that was the case. Now, she stood with the larger than life object looming before her.

She swallowed as she approached it, the old Narnian script adorning the sides of it literally beckoning her to read the inscriptions. Slowly, she reached out her hands to touch the stone object, the carvings brushing against her nervous fingertips. As she made her way around the broken table, she began to read aloud the poem that was carved into it.

_Deeper magic dwells in this sacred place,_  
Where weary travelers rest in its grace.  
It is not a place of revenge or fear,  
It is a place, which we must hold most dear. 

_Magic comes from the earth and land,_  
It grows in silence and makes our home grand.  
It blocks away the winter, for eternity  
And gives us the peace that is meant to be. 

 

“It sounds like a riddle,” she whispered as she touched the object. Lost in her thoughts, she did not hear that Aslan had been present and hidden in the shadows since she had arrived. “A riddle that doesn’t make any sense,” she mused as she sat down on the ground next to it and lowered her head. “I wish my parents were here…”

“Your parents are waiting for you, Bettina,” Aslan spoke as he came closer.

She gasped as she raised her head, all the while surprised by his abrupt words. “It doesn’t help me now. I did everything wrong, Aslan, and what hurts the most is I disgraced their memories by my actions.” As she spoke, she tried to blink back the tears, but when she could not, she lowered her head so that he would not see the shame that enveloped her.

“You read the words on the Stone Table not very many people here can actually read the old Narnian script. Not only that, but committing it to understanding is generally a difficult task as well,” he said as he came over and sat down beside her. As he stretched his body out, she could feel the warmth of his body blocking the cool breeze that permeated the area. “All you need to know, my child, is that they are true. All darkness ultimately does give way to the light.”

She raised her head and looked at him all the while shyly reaching out to touch his mane. “You were killed in this place, weren’t you?”

“The terms of sacrifice are ones that may not always be understood. When a willing person lays down his or her life for one labeled a ‘traitor’, then time can run backwards and the willing one can overcome death itself.” He took a deep breath, his words now hanging in the air. “What that means for you, Bettina, is to learn from your misdeeds and make right the wrongs you have done. You must not lay down your life in this place, as you perhaps have grown to believe. Instead, you must accept that through the simple act of coming into this place, you have brought honor not only to your parents’ memories, but also to yourself.”

“I was afraid to come here, terrified actually,” she confessed.

The lion nodded. “I know that is why your act today has become a great and glorious feat. It was not just about you bringing the cordial, but it was about you finding the courage inside to face your greatest fear. You knew deep inside that it was the right thing to do. All the stories you have heard about this place are based on fact, it is perhaps that fact that has kept you away from this place for so long. You felt inside that there was truth here, and in coming, you were giving yourself the chance to see that truth first hand.”

“Aslan what is the truth?” she asked.

“I cannot tell you that, Bettina, for it is what you must live and discover on your own,” he said and started to stand up. “Whenever you start to feel afraid of something, you will always have a choice, and how you face that choice will entirely be up to you.”

“What should I do now?” she asked.

“Although I can tell you the truths as I see them, you must first learn for yourself that these truths do exist. You can read them etched in infinity through this table, but you can live their truths through the manner in which you interpret them,” he said softly and started to walk away.

“But Aslan, please tell me what I should do,” she pleaded.

“Three travelers are on their way to meet you here, I request that you wait for them and then you will know when the time is at hand what must be done. Just keep reading the words that line this table. When you do meet them, the male with them shall receive the cordial from you,” with that, the mighty lion was gone.

“He comes and goes so quickly,” she grumbled as she continued to follow his instructions.

After some time had passed, she stopped when she suddenly could hear the rustling of branches nearby. She raised her head only to see that Tumnus and Angelina were walking towards it.

As they came out of the clearing, she gasped and backed away from the three of them. “It can’t be,” she whispered under her breath. Tumnus not knowing anything continued walking towards her with Lucy still wrapped in his arms.

Angelina looked at him as the fear gripped her. “You must stop, Tumnus,” she suddenly spoke, her words causing the faun to stop. Instead of watching his actions, she regarded the other nymph through hostile eyes. “She means to harm us, she’s a traitor.”

“I was a traitor, but I’m not anymore,” Bettina said as she moved slowly away from the table and took several steps towards them. “Aslan has sent me to meet you here I am meant to give something to your escort.”

“That’s impossible, Aslan wouldn’t waste even a minute of his time with you,” Angelina said angrily.

“But yet he did, he sent me here and wanted me to return this.” She held up the cordial. Tumnus’ eyes widened and he looked at Angelina and then back at the small glass bottle that Bettina held.

“You speak the truth,” he said as he looked at Angelina. “She was the one who switched the cordials.” He backed several steps away from Bettina and regarded her with contempt. “Don’t come any closer.”

“Please, I know I did some terrible things, but I want to give this back,” Bettina began. “I don’t want to be a traitor. My parents were not traitors, I was told that they were,” she looked at Angelina, her eyes filled with hate. “It was your mother who told me those lies. My father fought on the same side as Aslan, and your family took advantage of an orphaned nymph and said otherwise. My parents were never traitors; the only one who comes from a traitorous background is you.”

“I am not defined by what my parents did,” Angelina argued. “But you listened and became a traitor yourself. Not even when my mother beat me up and left in disgrace did I ever consider turning my back on the kings and queens. My mother compared me to you incessantly as I was growing up. She made you out to be the next queen of Narnia, Jadis’ successor. All this time, you got stars in yours eyes whenever the idea was even mentioned. So if you wish to speak of traitors then perhaps you ought to first find a looking glass.”

Tumnus was, by this time, becoming confused and continued to back away from them. He watched as the two nymphs continued to argue, but could remember nothing except his father and the sorrow he felt after Aslan had spoken of his death.

The row between them continued, their words sinking him further and further into an oblivious state. Lucy suddenly groaned in his arms and after some moments, she painfully opened her eyes.

“Tumnus,” she moaned softly and buried her face against his chest. “It hurts so badly…”

“I know,” he whispered as he began to stroke her face gently. At that moment there was only one thing he wanted to do and that was to snatch the cordial from Bettina and administer it to his love. Yet, still listening to them as they argued, he was not sure if this was even the right cordial and he feared that it would only make things worse for Lucy. The fear loomed over his head, and it soon became apparent that he was frightened. Aslan had said that they were to meet someone here, but was it the one who was responsible for the existing situation? What would happen to Lucy if he took the object and gave her a drop of it? Would it cause her to die, or would it bring healing?

His thoughts were literally swimming as Bettina finally had enough with arguing and started to walk closer to them. “I won’t do anything to hurt anyone,” she began when she noticed that Tumnus had raised his head when he heard her voice, his hold tightening on Lucy.

“Why should I believe you?” he asked weakly. “If you stole the real cordial, why are you willing to give it back now? It would serve your objectives to give me something that could ultimately kill her. You would destroy everyone and everything that would get in the way of the return of the hundred year winter.”

“That’s not true,” Bettina whispered.

“But isn’t it?” Angelina snapped. “I would bet that my own mother would call this a means to an end.”

“But this is the real cordial,” she said as she extended the bottle to him. “I can prove it.”

“How?” Angelina asked, and even Tumnus looked somewhat curious.

“Like this,” the nymph placed the bottle on the ground and next pulled a knife from a sheath that was hanging on a belt around her waist. She placed the tip of the knife against her arm and without warning pierced the skin with it and let out a cry of agony. The bottle fell from her hand and landed on the ground as she covered the injury with her hand. As he watched the blood seeping between her fingers, Tumnus suddenly felt sickened by this violent turn of events.

Bettina began to grope around for the bottle, but just before she reached it, Angelina picked it up. “If I was as full of hate as you are, I’d just leave you to bleed to death.”

“But you’re not,” Tumnus said, the faun completely unable as well as unaccustomed to seeing another suffer in such a horrific way. He gently laid Lucy on the ground, but remained where he was and stared up at the two of them. “You can forgive, just as I forgave your parents and in essence released you from the hate that I carried. It could have been very easy for me to judge you, Angelina.”

She turned her head and looked at him. “You forgave them?”

“Aslan forgave me when I went into the pay of the White Witch. He knew that I was scared of what she could do to me, but he gave me the benefit of the doubt. I had lost both of my parents, just as Bettina had lost hers. I wanted to believe that in simply saying I would become a kidnapper, it would be enough to free me from her wrath, but it did not. I humiliated myself and destroyed my family’s honor because I was scared. When I met Lucy Pevensie the first time, I knew that I could never do or be what Jadis expected of me.”

By this time, Bettina was on the ground, her arm bleeding profusely and her eyes staring in pain up at him. “We’re running out of time,” he whispered. “If that is the real cordial, which I believe it is, then Bettina will die. Not to mention that Lucy’s suffering will be prolonged if we don’t act immediately.” He extended his hand to Angelina and she eventually dropped the object in his waiting hand.

Without waiting, the faun got to his knees next to Bettina. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with pain and sorrow. “It’s alright,” he said gently as he poured the drop into her mouth. “We are more alike than many would be willing to admit,” he said as he began to stroke her hair gently.

Once she was healed and had opened her eyes, she licked her lips. “I don’t blame you for not believing in me,” she whispered, but slowly got to her feet and ran away from them. Angelina was left staring after her, but Tumnus no longer cared, he had, by this time, returned to Lucy’s side.

~~~~~

Moments later, Tumnus watched as Bettina disappeared between a crop of trees. She had done what Aslan had asked of her, and now seemed to be free from whatever obligations she had. Within minutes, he could hear her screams emerging and watched in surprise as she was led, struggling back into the area, this time she had been taking prisoner by a roguish centaur.

The faun raised his head and made eye contact with the centaur whom he immediately recognized to be Oreius. Instead of speaking, he pulled Lucy’s body back onto his lap. Behind Oreius, he could still hear the sounds of horses galloping towards them, but not caring, he tried to balance the bottle with the cordial as he opened it. He did not seem to notice that the ones who were arriving behind the centaur were King Peter, Queen Susan, and King Edmund. They dismounted their horses and started to walk towards them, the sounds of Tumnus’ voice suddenly making them stop cold.

“Lucy, my dearest Lucy, please forgive me for not having come to you before today and told you all that was in my heart,” he said as he looked down into her gaunt face. “The truth is, never in my existence have I loved anyone as much as I do you,” his voice cracked as he carefully poured a drop of the healing substance into her mouth. He leaned down and cupped her face with his hands as he continued to speak. “My only desire is for you to be healthy again, and to be happy. Even if you one day were to forget that I even exist, I will never forget you.”

As he spoke, their bodies were suddenly and magically framed by dark green bushes where soft pink flowers had started to bloom. Within minutes, they were crowned by a beautiful garland of soft blossoms.

Lucy stirred and slowly began to open her eyes as she slowly licked her dry lips and tried to focus on who was gently holding her. “Tumnus,” she moaned softly not fully recognizing that the faun was with her. All that she knew was that his presence was the only one she really wanted to have with her.

When he heard his name being spoken, he wordlessly leaned over so that she could see his face. His arm was still cradling her gently and when she recognized him, she raised a weary hand to touch his face. “Tumnus,” she whispered his name once again, her hand still touching his cheek. After several moments, weary from exhaustion, her hand abruptly fell away and came to rest against her side.

The faun gazed down at her, his blue eyes shining as he helped her to slowly sit up. “I’m right here, dearest Lucy, I’m not going anywhere,” he whispered gently, but nearly was knocked over when she abruptly threw herself into his arms, her body trembling uncontrollably. “I’ve got you; I won’t let you go…” he whispered soothingly.

She nodded but abruptly raised her head and pressed her lips firmly against his. This made any words he could possibly say impossible.

Initially, the faun was somewhat taken aback by her actions, but his deep love for her won out and he allowed the kiss to intensify and he wound his arms around her and held tightly to her. Seconds passed and they both heard the sound of someone clearing their throat directly behind them. As their kiss broke, they could both hear angry words abruptly emerging.

“Get your hands off my sister,” a man shouted and both Lucy and Tumnus slowly turned around to see that Peter had started running towards them, his hands reaching for the grip of his sword. Without warning, the youngest queen buried her face against the faun’s chest, her body remaining in his embrace.

Peter continued to run towards them, but after several moments, he abruptly felt pressure pulling him back. He turned his head to see that both Edmund and Susan were holding each of his arms. His sword was still at chest level, but with the hold on his upper arms, there as very little he could do with it. Now, his siblings were holding him back.

“You cannot do anything to hurt either of them, Peter. She kissed him, not the other way around. You cannot protect her anymore if she doesn’t wish to be protected,” Susan said.

“But Susan,” Peter objected. “He’s a faun…”

“…He is her choice,” Edmund interrupted before looking at his youngest sister. “Is that right, Lu? You have chosen him as your suitor, correct?”

Lucy looked up and when she made eye contact with them, she nodded, but was unable to say a word. Eventually Susan spoke in the place of her sister. “I can tell you love him, Lu, but you have to tell Peter. It’s the only way you can convince him to lower his weapon and back off.”

“He won’t listen,” Lucy said softly. “Lust look at him, he’s determined to keep us apart.”

“I know, Lu, but you said Mr. Tumnus’ name when you woke up just now. You did not say any of our names, so we can only conclude that your feelings are real and that you’re afraid to tell us what lies in the depths of your heart,” Susan continued rationally.

Lucy nodded as she once more buried her face against Tumnus’ chest, and the faun kept his arms wrapped securely around her.

“You love her as well; do you not, Mr. Tumnus?” Susan asked almost too formally.

The faun nodded. “I love and treasure Lucy more than my own life, Your Majesty,” he admitted, his words soft, but filled with sincerity.

Susan smiled but looked at her brother. “Could you have expected more from either of them than that?”

Peter didn’t answer this inquiry, instead the scowl did not lessen and his sword remained level. “I said take your hands off my sister,” he shouted, his eyes blazing with anger.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Lucy raised her head and bravely turned around to face her brother. Upon seeing his angry sneer and puffed up face, she realized that for the first time in her life, she was afraid of him. After several moments, she found her voice and spoke, her words emerging as an angry shout. “If you want to kill him, then you’ll have to kill me first!” Her attention, however, remained centered on tip of the sword that was aimed at her and Tumnus.

The faun’s blue eyes widened upon hearing these words. From behind her, he stared up at the angry king, his arms still holding Lucy. He could tell almost instinctively that she was frightened, and that her fear would be around long after this situation had ended. He glanced down to see that her hands were holding so tightly to him that her knuckles were white. “Do you realize that you are terrifying her?”

“She’s my sister,” Peter said as he broke free of Susan and Edmund’s hold and started towards them again. “It is my job to protect her.”

“Protect her?” Susan asked skeptically. “You’re not protecting her from anything; you’re acting like a jealous suitor. She’s your sister, Peter, not your property and certainly not a pawn to move in accordance with your whims. Her happiness should be the most important thing to you, not a marriage of alliance.”

“She’s right,” a firm voice cried out. “Please, Your Majesty, you must leave them be.”

Peter stopped and turned his head to see that a young nymph had gunned up the courage to address him. “And who might you be?” he asked mockingly.

“My name is Angelina,” she said, her voice soft, but firm. “I have been traveling with them from Lantern Waste.”

“Then that means that you’re the traitor that I heard tell of,” Peter said.

“I am not a traitor, my mother perhaps, but I most certainly am not,” Angelina shot back. “Aslan has protected me, and today I am a free Narnian.”

Lucy looked up at her brother. “She is telling the truth, Peter. Angelina is our friend and Aslan has requested that we help get her away from those who have feely done her harm.” She paused, her eyes earnest as a sense of courage overwhelmed her as she continued to confront her eldest brother. “Now, I do believe it is time for you to explain to me why you are trying to bring harm to my betrothed.”

“Betrothed?” Peter whispered. “You can’t be serious, Lu.”

“Why can’t I?” Lucy asked. “I love him, he’s my very best friend, and he knows me better than anyone in Narnia ever could. Look, I know you mean well, Peter, but I am not here to marry one of those pompous princes who line up trying to seek my favor. Why can’t I be with the one I truly love? Just because I am your little sister and a queen of Narnia does not mean that I should sacrifice my wishes for the sake of the title. I should not have to give up everything in order to fit into some sort of expectation that you have decided for me. I am an adult now, I love Tumnus more than anyone else, and I want to spend my life with him if he will have me.” As she spoke, she looked shyly at the faun hoping that he would answer affirmatively.

Without hesitation she received an adamant nod. She could instinctively tell that he wanted to speak, but couldn’t. His words were literally stuck in his throat.

Lucy glanced back towards her brother but soon that disappeared when she looked over at Oreius. “I also have to add that I don’t think it is part of General Oreius’ job description to play my babysitter. I know you meant well by sending him to Lantern Waste, but he has far more pressing matters to attend to than troll after me and try to keep an eye on what I am doing.”

“She speaks the truth, Sir,” Angelina said. “My parents are in hiding in Lantern Waste and my mother is trying to rally support with the few remaining White Witch supporters. There aren’t very many, but one or two may still be present.”

Oreius looked at her skeptically. “You’d be willing to turn your parents over to us?” He asked his eyes wide with surprise.

“I’ve met Aslan,” she responded nodding. “If that wasn’t enough to convince me, then I don’t know what else would. It’s not easy and although I do love my father; this idea of family loyalty has been shoved on me ever since I was little. I suppose it is through all of this when I have realized that I no longer belong with their family.”

Bettina nodded as she struggled against the hold that Oreius had on her arm. “That’s why I came here. Aslan sent me to return Queen Lucy’s gift and to rectify the problems my actions have caused. I was a traitor, I was told that my parents were supporters of the witch by Angelina’s mother, but it is not true. My parents were always noble supporters of Aslan.”

She returned to where Lucy and Tumnus were standing. “Forgive me, Your Majesty, please. I know that I did so many things wrong and there is no justification for it, but I beg you to forgive me.” She bowed before Lucy.

“At least you returned my gift,” Lucy said smiling weakly. “Bettina, I can forgive you for what you have done. I believe that you have done as Aslan asked and tried to rectify things.” As she spoke a light shone down between the trees and a shimmering object appeared next to the Stone Table and Bettina turned her head and looked at it.

“It’s my father’s sword,” the nymph whispered. She slowly got to her feet and walked over to where the object now lay on the ground. “Aslan…”

“I would surmise Aslan agrees with that statement,” Lucy said as Bettina picked up the sword and pulled it from its sheath. A few moments later and she looked down at the blade, her smile reflecting in the steel blade.

“I never thought I would actually see it. Aslan said that once I brought your cordial, I would receive my father’s sword, but I had forgotten about it completely. I suppose that I just wanted to do what was right,” Bettina whispered as she stared down at the object, but returned it to the sheath before winding the belt around her waist.

“You did what was right, and Aslan kept his word,” Lucy said with an approving nod.

Bettina nodded but looked at Lucy nervously. “You’re not going to lock me away for what I did, are you?”

Lucy shook her head. “It’s not my style to lock anyone away, and Edmund can attest to that. He knows probably better than anyone how it is to return home after being away for a time. I think beyond any doubt, you have demonstrated to us where specifically your loyalties lie. You are supportive of what is good and right in Narnia and are not loyal to a dead memory.”

Bettina embraced Lucy and without saying anything else, she backed away from them, but stopped and looked at King Peter. “If not for me, she would have probably handled everything wonderfully.”

Peter looked down at his sister and backed away slowly. “It would seem that I have gone and underestimated you,” he said, his voice etched with pride.

“You have,” she said and looked at her sister. “Do you remember how you used to look when you were with someone who made you happy or when you were in love?”

“Yes,” Susan said. She cast a fleeting glance at Oreius, but no other words emerged.

“I never really understood anything about it until now. I finally found someone who makes me happier than I have ever been in my life. I know that Tumnus will never hurt me, because when we first met, he protected me. As for those princes from far off lands, I don’t know any of them. They may be attractive or want to shower me with gifts and their affections, but they don’t really know me. They may be like me and have feet with toes, but they cannot see into my heart the way my best friend can. Not one of them even knows how I like to drink my tea or what my favorite afternoon snack is. Tumnus knows all that and more. He knows what is in my heart even though I neglected him for so long because of all this stuff that was expected of me. I missed him desperately and wanted nothing more than to be with him, but I was always sidetracked by my duties.” She could feel the tears catching in her eyes as she continued pouring her heart out to her elder sister. “It kills me that I make Peter and Edmund worry, but I have held back on my feelings for such a long time. Now, I cannot hide what they are anymore.”

“What are your feelings, Lucy?” Peter asked softly and watched as his youngest sister slowly got to her feet. As she did, he lowered the sword and watched as she extended her hand to Tumnus.

Once the faun had reached for her smaller hand, he managed to stand and the two of them walked slowly towards the High King. “I want to shout it out for the world to hear. I love Tumnus, I think deep down inside, I always have.”

Peter looked at his sister as Edmund nudged him, the younger King’s expression clearly stating the words ‘I told you so’, but nothing emerged from the younger king. Instead, he looked down at the sword that was still in his hand and eventually had no choice but to return it to the sheath.

Peter stared at them for several moments, as Oreius cleared his throat. “Your Majesty these men and I await your further instructions,” he said and the king’s attention shifted to the centaur. It was more than obvious to all of them that Oreius did not wish to impose further on matters of the family.

“I wish for you to go to Lantern Waste and round up the group of traitors and bring them to Cair Paravel,” Peter commanded as he looked at Angelina. “Your loyalties to Aslan, the true King of Narnia, have released you from any and all accusations that may have been held against you. It is quite difficult for one so young to turn against her entire family like this, but you have and I do understand how hard that is. In acknowledging your situation, you shall be granted sanctuary at Cair Paravel.” He turned to Bettina. “Your confessions to the acts you have committed have been a positive step. I am pleased that Aslan has helped you to see the error in your ways. I will not pass any further judgment on you.”

Bettina nodded gratefully. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“Now, you can journey back to Cair Paravel with my brother, sister, and Angelina. There is still something that I would like to contend with here before I return to the castle,” Peter said. “Not to worry Su, Ed, I won’t do anything stupid.”

~~~~~

The two remaining monarchs nodded and started to make their way back to their horses. The two nymphs crawled behind them on the horses and once they had galloped away, Peter looked at Tumnus and Lucy.

“I didn’t know where you went the other night, Lu,” he began softly, his voice etched with worry. “Susan told me about the letter, but that was the only way I could have found out where you had gone. I would have preferred you to have told me face to face.”

“You wouldn’t have listened, that’s why I left the note explaining everything,” Lucy said. “I hadn’t seen Tumnus in three years and I was never able to get away from my duties to go and visit him. Yet in the depths of my heart, I truly yearned to. Later, I thought that the only way I could see him was to sneak away.”

“You could have gone to see him at any time,” he argued.

“Perhaps, but then you would have sent Oreius or someone else to look in on me and try to act as my babysitter. Admit it, you would never have consented to giving me any sense of privacy. Then when you do, I end up feeling as though I must constantly look over my shoulder to see if someone is lurking somewhere and listening to dialogues that are not any of their business or concern,” she said hotly. “I love you, you’re my brother, but I’m not a little girl anymore. I want to be able to visit my friends without you hovering over me.”

“Am I really doing that?” Peter asked.

“Yes, and it doesn’t take someone with a high IQ to reach that conclusion,” Lucy said. “I sometimes need time to myself. When Edmund told me about what happened at the witch’s castle, I knew that I had to go see Tumnus immediately. I also knew that if I said anything to you about it, then you’d have tried to find about hundred and fifty different things for me to do. You would never admit it, but you would have tried to prevent me from going and I would once more be forced to ignore or shut out the cries in my heart for the sake of duty. My heart was telling me that I needed to see him. I had to see him, and so I wrote that letter and left.”

“A friendship is one thing Lu, but what you’re talking about is just not natural,” Peter argued.

“Natural?” Lucy shouted, her anger reaching a head. “You want to talk about natural? Peter, I love him, and when you love someone like that, there is no way anyone should have the right to judge it or put their conditions on it. I need him, and I think he needs me too.” She looked at the faun and when she saw him offer a timid nod, she looked at her brother. “As the eldest in our family, I wish for you to give us your blessing.”

The High King looked first at Lucy’s hopeful face, then back at Tumnus, and after some time had passed, he shook his head. “I’m sorry, Lu, but I can’t.”

“You can’t or you won’t?” She asked stubbornly. “Do you think in all honesty that you not granting a blessing will make it easier for you to match me up with one of those snobby princes that you pull out of your hat? It won’t change anything, because I’m still going to be with Tumnus, blessing or no.”

The faun nodded slowly. “Your Majesty, my feelings for Lucy will never change,” he offered softly. “I wish only to be there for her and to protect her as you have done.”

Peter, upon hearing these words sighed, a tinge of jealousy literally encompassing him. “I am not happy about this. You should marry someone who can grant us a friendly alliance.”

“No, Peter, she should marry someone she loves,” Aslan’s voice emerged and Peter turned to see that the lion had once more returned. He was now standing near the Stone Table, his golden mane now shimmering from the early evening sun. “She loves Tumnus, Peter, and Tumnus loves her. They have already received my blessing, and now your blessing is what remains. If Lucy was still a child, then that blessing would not come, but she is an adult and they both deserve it. The love that the two of them carry for one another is the greatest gift that can be given in all of Narnia. It is the gift of looking beyond the physical and seeing what lies within. Release the pride and let your sister find her own sense of happiness. She is a young woman, and her words to Angelina and Bettina proved that point beyond any doubt.”

Peter looked at Lucy. “You really love him?” he asked softly.

“I always have,” Lucy said. “It was his name that I called when I woke up; it was him who I longed to have by my side.”

Peter nodded and after casting an uncertain look in Aslan’s direction, he swallowed. “Then you have my blessing, both of you.” He extended his hand to Tumnus, who stared puzzled down at the extended hand.

“Take his hand, Tumnus,” Aslan instructed. “It is his blessing to you, and it is what Lucy has waited for.”

Tumnus accepted the outstretched hand. “Thank you,” he whispered and Peter nodded, but no further words emerged. Instead the High King went and mounted his horse and rode back in the direction of the castle.

Lucy and Tumnus stood up, their eyes still on Aslan. “Thank you, Aslan,” Lucy whispered as she went over to the lion and buried her face against his mane. As she straightened out, she wound her arm around Tumnus.

“It was my pleasure, my children,” he said, his voice a low chuckle.

“You really approve of us?” Lucy asked.

“Yes. You see, Daughter of Eve, a love is not measured in how one looks, love is measured in what one shares, and you both have shared something very special that spans beyond appearance or physical incarnation. Remember, the love you share with your friends somehow makes it possible for that romantic love to evolve or exist.” He shook out his mane and with a deep breath, he continued. “Now, I think it would be wise for me to get you both back to the castle, you’re both exhausted, and are in need of rest. On my back both of you,” he said as he crouched down and waited as they climbed up on his back. “I’ll have you home in two minutes,” he affirmed as he started to run back towards the castle.

Lucy remembered nothing of this trip, from the moment she felt his warm back beneath her, she fell into a deep sleep, her face pressed against his name, her breathing steady and her arms wrapped as far around his neck as they would go.

Tumnus was still awake when Aslan arrived at the gardens of Cair Paravel. He gently pulled Lucy’s sleeping body off of Aslan’s back but before the lion could leave, he looked at him. “Before your leave, may I ask you something?”

“Of course,” Aslan said.

“You knew of this all along?” Tumnus asked. “I mean; of my feelings?”

“Of course, the love that you carried for one another was never just coincidental, nor was it an accident,” Aslan said, his golden eyes earnest as he looked at the faun. “The love you carry for Lucy Pevensie started the day you met her. It is not mere chance, Tumnus, your heart longed for a friend, and Lucy’s longed for someone who understood her own sadness and fears. It was a perfect match. When she was a child, a normal friendship was right, but now that she is grown, her feelings have changed, and yours have as well. It is a natural progression, young faun.”

“You have done so much for me already, Aslan and now you have blessed me with the greatest gift of all,” he said, his voice breaking. “Thank you.”

The noble lion nodded. “You’re so welcome, but remember Tumnus, you must simply accept that you are deserving of all of these gifts that you have received,” he said. “Now, you must bring her inside and put her to bed.”

The faun nodded and with his arms still protectively around her, he brought her inside and up to her room. The door was open when he arrived and he carefully brought her into the room and laid her on the bed. He returned to the door and closed it slowly and began to look around for Lucy’s soft, cotton nightgown. He found it hanging on the wardrobe door and went over to where she lay across the foot of the bed.

He swallowed and gently pulled her in a sitting position so that he could unzip the back of her now worn and dirty traveling dress. Swallowing, he carefully removed the dress and watched as it sank to the floor, the dirty fabric landing on the white rug. Without looking at her nakedness, he carefully pulled the nightgown over her head and allowed it to fall over her sleeping form and against the blankets.

Without thinking of what he was doing, he picked up her up in his arms and carried her to the head of the bed. He laid her body gently amidst the pillows, her hair now draping casually over it and he reached for the blanket and pulled them up and over her. “I love you, Lucy,” he whispered and leaned down and kissed her still lips.

He straightened out all the while ignoring his own internal urge was to stay with her. Instead he silently doused the light and slipped quietly out of the room. Once he had closed the door, he made his way to the chamber Lucy had called his and unobserved, he slowly entered the room.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

As early morning dawned throughout Lantern Waste, Leopold had returned to the lamppost and was surprised to see that Lydia was standing and waiting for him. A dark scowl covered her lips, her eyes dark. “Is Lucy the Valiant dead?” she demanded as he approached her.

Leopold shook his head. “No, Lydia, when I left her, she was injured, but still alive.”

“You failed our cause, Leopold,” she snapped.

“I hardly believe that a gossiping circle of nymphs can be considered a worthy cause. Half of those ladies could care less about your cause, in fact, I am won’t to say that I believe they only listen to you because of the empathy they feel for you,” he said matter-of-factly. “I was never a part of your cause; you used my affections towards Angelina to turn me against what was right and good. You always knew that I loved your daughter and would defend her honor, even if it meant harming someone like Queen Lucy. I did hurt her Majesty, and instead of feeling as though I have defended a cause, I must deal with the guilt of having done something terrible. I will seek her pardon when I one day return to the castle. I will also tell you that no matter what you try, you will fail. The monarchy in Narnia is as stable and firmly fixed as this lamppost. You will never have the power over anyone here besides yourself.”

“You are weak, Leopold,” the nymph said angrily, “nothing but weak.”

“No, I’m stronger today than I have ever been in my life. You have been the cause of all the problems that exist in Lantern Waste, you have been speaking of a revolution, but you have no army, you have only a few who will listen to you, but most do not take you seriously. There is no uprising happening against the Kings and Queens of Narnia, there never was. Yet, you have used all the things that you have at your disposal to create unrest. You manipulated anyone you could find because you believed that it would restore your husband’s voice, but it will not.”

“You’re lying,” Lydia shouted, “he will speak again!”

“No, he won’t,” Leopold shook his head. “There is no magic in all of Narnia that can restore his voice. And when he had it, he only used it to spout venom and hate.”

“I don’t believe you,” she seethed.

“But it’s true, and I would bet that by now the rightful rulers of Narnia have been made aware of what you have done and have already sent soldiers here to bring you and Johann to justice,” Leopold whispered.

Lydia’s face went white. “How could you turn on my family like this? My daughter is dead because of these…humans. You should know better than anyone here about the importance of this cause, your father’s entire family was wiped out by Aslan.”

“No they weren’t,” Leopold sighed. “My father’s family migrated to Archenland several seasons before Jadis came to power. You don’t know nearly as much as you think you do. You have told so many of us that our families were loyal to the witch, and later we discovered that there was absolutely no connection whatsoever. It was all in your mind, and now you’ve convinced yourself that Angelina is dead, yet when I saw her, it was not the case. Aslan is in Narnia as we speak and I know this to be true because I saw him with my own two eyes. He has healed Angelina and she is not dead like you think.”

“Aslan?” Lydia whispered.

“Yes, the great Aslan himself, he has been watching out for Angelina, and when I left her, she was willingly journeying with Queen Lucy and Tumnus to the Stone Table. They were to meet someone there. She and Aslan sent me back here, probably because she wanted you to know that she was alright, but also because I know the truth.”

“Angelina has been holding onto these crazy notions about Aslan for years now. She wrote and often thought about him, but she never really spoke of him.”

“Would you have expected her to?” Leopold asked. “You would beat her senseless when she so much as mentioned his name. Yet, he does exist, Lydia, and he’s been watching over all of us as a true king should.”

“If he is a true king, then why won’t he heal Johann like he healed Angelina?” Lydia asked.

“He’s not going to heal Johann just because you want him to. Johann has been mute since birth; he does not normally have the ability to speak at all. That is what is normal for him, and when the witch gave him his voice, she did unspeakable harm to him when she forced him to do terrible things to those living in Lantern Waste. He did them because he did not want to lose his voice again. What you don’t seem to realize about all of this is that there are people living here who have lost everything because of the witch. She didn’t do anything good for Narnia, quite the contrary. Yet, you go about spreading rumors and lies and talking of restoring Narnia to what it was and no one but you wants that.”

Lydia silently listened as Leopold glanced in the direction of Tumnus’ cave and pointed. “Tumnus lost his entire family; he was orphaned in the wink of an eye. Then he nearly lost his self-respect because of what Johann did. Johann was a friend with Tumnus’ father, everyone in Lantern Waste knew it. The beavers have become Tumnus’ surrogate parents after this horrible tragedy happened, and now you want to talk about redemption for Johann?”

“My family deserves to be happy too,” Lydia said.

“But not in this way,” he argued. “How would it have been for you if the White Witch had turned your parents to stone? You think that Jadis was this great queen of Narnia, but she wasn’t. She was an evil witch, she had her own agenda, her own wishes, and she had the magic behind her to destroy whoever rebelled. She would not have thought twice about helping you if she knew that it served her overall purpose. Today, you live that very same philosophy and you use it because you want nothing more than to take over Narnia yourself. I listened to you, but not anymore, I cannot. You must face whatever comes, and that will not be easy.” As these words filled her ears, she watched as he turned away.

“Leopold you can’t leave,” she said desperately. “You’re the only one left.”

“I’m already gone,” he said assertively. “I’m leaving Lantern Waste, and will go to Cair Paravel and join Angelina there. I may not have a future with her, no one really knows, but I do know that I will at least be in a place where I am happy and am not manipulated by someone else. Farewell, Lydia,” Leopold said as he walked away from her.

Once she was left alone, the nymph sat down on the ground and pulled her knees to her chest and lowered her head. “There’s no point to anything anymore,” she whispered. “Johann is never going to speak again.”

“It surprises me that you finally have realized this after all these years,” a voice emerged and she looked up to see that Mr. Beaver was standing not too far away. “I was the one who found the sword, Lydia. I didn’t know who left it there, but now can only conclude that it was you.”

“It was for my daughter,” she said.

“Well, your daughter obviously didn’t want it,” the beaver said bluntly. “You shouldn’t be surprised that whoever found it would do what they could to get it out of the open.”

“I overheard General Oreius and you speaking when he took it away,” she said icily. “What do you want my congratulations?”

“No, but you should accept the fact that you’ve lost and all that remained was confusion and manipulation,” he said. “You would have seen it had you stayed at the dance longer instead of dragging your daughter away from Tumnus’ cave. Generally, in Lantern Waste we know what is happening and we are completely aware when things aren’t right. I have to give Leopold a great deal of credit for his standing up to you. The boy was confused and he mentioned that at the celebration the other night. Yet, it appears as though he has found the courage to face his actions and to answer for them. You and your husband have both refused to accept responsibility and now your daughter has been forced to answer for your reluctance.”

“Why did you give General Oreius my husband’s sword?” she snapped angrily.

“I did not give it to him; I merely showed him where it was hidden. Yes, I initially did hide it because I didn’t want it to frighten the others,” the beaver said firmly. “When we spoke of it, I told him that its presence made me believe that there was something wrong in Lantern Waste, but there wasn’t, it was all a façade. My dear wife made me see to reason after I went home and related the events to her. It is truly a pity that your husband could not help you to see reason.”

“My husband can’t speak,” Lydia said, “you know that.”

“Yes, I was aware of that,” the beaver said with a nod. “I also know that there are other ways to speak to the ones you love without using your voice. How many times have you made your feelings known by biting your lip, or putting your hands on your hips? There are other ways of communicating without trying to recreate a time that no one else really wants or wishes to return to.”

Lydia got to her feet, “leave me in peace.”

“You’ll never find peace, not with the route you have chosen,” the beaver said. “Narnia is in a golden age and your friend Leopold wanted to convey that to you, but no one can unless you are willing to accept and embrace it. You want to find or recreate a day gone by, but maybe the days or the times that you think you want are not really what you truly desire. When you take the time to look deep inside of yourself, you will know the truth. Johann will never speak again, he is mute, he was born mute and he will one day die mute. What he did during his life was not something demonstrative of his ability to speak, but instead he acted on false loyalties and ended up betraying Tumnus’ family. He destroyed families, friendships and essentially, his own daughter. Whether you wish to acknowledge it or not, you indirectly helped him to do it.”

As he spoke, three centaurs came running into the area and stopped several meters away from where they were standing. She turned her head and stared at them, her eyes a depiction of anger and frustration, but also utter defeat. “I will not give myself up.”

“Then face the choice of either running and still getting caught, or going into hiding for the rest of your days and never again seeing the light of day,” the beaver said firmly. “You have a choice, and I don’t know of too many nymphs who can live without daylight for an extended period of time.”

Lydia took a deep breath. “I don’t have any friends left,” she whispered as she glanced up. As she did, she gasped when she saw that General Oreius had managed to find Johann’s hiding place and was leading him out into the open. The dryad’s face was worn from exhaustion, his skin a pasty white color, his eyes heavy-lidded and his shoulders slumped. His mouth was curved down in a defeated frown, and as he was led into the clearing, his body stumbled somewhat, but as if by sheer will alone; he managed to stay on his feet.

Without thinking of the consequences of her actions, Lydia ran over to him. “Johann, I did everything I could for you.”

He raised his head, shook it, and lowered it once again. It was obvious that the dryad’s head was bowed because the light of the rising sun hurt his eyes. In his wrinkled hand were two crumpled up letters and one of them, he handed to Lydia, the other he extended towards the beaver.

Lydia looked down at the letter immediately recognizing the uneven scrawl, which adorned it. The name was barely readable, but she could tell almost instantly that it was her own name and that this was Johann’s handwriting.

With trembling hands, the nymph unfolded the letter, and began to read.

_My dearest Lydia,_

_It is over; I can no longer live under these conditions. I have decided to turn myself over to Aslan’s guard in the hope of finding redemption and making peace before I die. I have not much time left, my heart grows weaker by the day and I know why that is now. My conscience is destroying me, but my health is also failing me. I will soon be leaving Narnia forever, but before I go, I beg you to please stop what you have done and make peace with yourself, with Aslan, our daughter, and with the current situation in Narnia._

_You have spent your life married to a traitor, a dryad who was told what to think and believe, never to have the courage to find and fight for what is truly right. Angelina needs a mother, not an angry parent who beats and harms her. I would wish that for you to cease harboring away ideas of what could have been if only things had been different. Angelina needs to know of the good life that Narnia has to offer her, and that means, she must know about Aslan. It is he who was the bearer of hope in a lost and hopeless world, not Jadis._

_The second letter that I am bringing is for the young Tumnus, it is my deepest regret and apology for having betrayed and hurt him with my actions. Yet, beyond any doubt, I believe he has a good heart and a gentle and loving spirit. He can be a positive guide and friend to our daughter. He can teach her the ways things used to be and tell her how Narnia was before evil times befell it. I was weak and unable to resist Jadis’ control, but he was strong and he put all others ahead of himself. Of this, I am certain, simply because the young faun’s father was exactly like him and instilled value and virtue in his heart._

_You have been selfless and put me ahead of all others, but today you must stop. Nothing will give me my voice back, but these are my words, and I ask you to heed what I say, since these are the last words I will ever write._

_Love,  
Johann_

Once she had finished reading the letter she shook her head in denial, but looked at Johann. “You didn’t want me to go against Aslan?”

He shook his head, but seconds later, the centaur led him away and she was left standing and staring down at the letter. “I did all this because I thought…” she shouted and this caused Oreius to turn around.

“…You thought that it would help Johann,” he said simply, his words calm in comparison to her own.

“I did it as an act of love,” she said, her voice now breaking.

“Love does not bring up one while pushing down another, Lydia,” he said. “I learned that just because your daughter is your daughter, it does not mean, nor imply that she has chosen the path of treachery that you have.”

As these words sunk in, she closed her eyes, but after a second, she suddenly felt a nudge from behind. She turned around to see that a second centaur was standing behind her and she helplessly raised her hands. Within seconds, she could feel the abrasive rope being wound around her wrists and slowly she felt herself being led away from the lamppost. It would be at Cair Paravel, where whatever was left of her family would finally face justice.

Mr. Beaver remained watching for several moments, his paws holding the crumpled up letter, his eyes filled with sadness as he read the name ‘Tumnus’ scrawled across it. Johann had known beyond any doubt that he would deliver the letter, but he pondered how much pain the revelations inside would still bring to the faun.

He sighed deeply. At least this situation was now behind them. Perhaps now things in Lantern Waste would slowly return to normal.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

It was early the following morning when Tumnus crawled out of bed and looked around the room before his gaze came to rest on the window. From where he was sitting, he could see that the first lights of dawn were starting to shimmer into the room. He ran his hand through his curly golden locks of hair, his finger stopping momentarily to scratch his right ear. His father used to say that when one had itchy ears that that meant a visitor was due to arrive. These old Narnian tales were things the faun seemed to constantly hear as he had grown up. Being somewhat an intellectual, Tumnus did not believe in these old wives tales, but he did still see the humor in them.

He scurried across the marble floor his hooves tapping against the surface as he tried without success at keeping his steps quiet. He knew that in the castle, the walls were pretty thick, but for whatever reason, he had somehow grown accustomed to walking as silently as he could.

Now standing in front of the large gold-framed mirror, he reached for his favorite red scarf and wound it gently around his neck. The red tassels from each end of it were hanging casually down over his chest and back. He returned his attention to his appearance; his curly locks of hair seemed unruly on this particular day. Reaching for a comb, he managed to coerce the soft hair to rest gently against his temple. He returned the comb as he regarded his reflection and nodded approvingly.

Slowly he made his way over to the door. As he opened it, he could hear the sounds of it creaking before he stepped out into the corridor and pulled it closed behind him.

The hallway was dark and empty but he stole his way towards the stairs, his hooves the only sound to emerge. He reached the door at the end of the hall and slowly descended the stairs until he reached the ground level. He quickened his pace and walked in the direction of the door leading out into the beautifully decorated palace grounds. Reaching a second door, he pulled on it and stepped outside. He turned briefly as he noted the door closing behind him. Several moments passed and he could feel a gentle breeze blowing all around him. This felt good against his bare skin and he stopped walking and smiled momentarily as he inhaled the crisp Narnian air.

After taking several deep breaths, he started walking once again, his intended destination a white gazebo with wooden benches and flower boxes. This was one of his favorite places at the castle. It carried the quaintness of Lantern Waste, but also seemed to fit with the palace life of Cair Paravel. He could see the various plants in the boxes, mostly carnations and other scented flowers. The fragrance of them filled his nostrils and left him feeling a sense of contentment as the sun rose in the distance. He sat down on one of the benches and for the first time in many a day, the faun felt the serenity of the place literally lulling him into a trance.

Now things were just as he liked them, he was with Lucy and could be happy about that fact, but there was still something that made him feel a bit uneasy. He wanted more than anything, to wrap the young queen in his arms, hold her, and kiss her. However, there was something that felt completely unresolved inside of him. His father’s counsel would have been welcomed at that moment, although Aslan’s words the night before should have been enough.

He looked down at his legs, the hairy covered reminders of the extent of his and Lucy’s differences. Sadly, he closed his eyes, his hooves unconsciously tapping against the wooden panels of the gazebo floor. After several moments had passed, he glanced skyward. “Father, what should I do?” he asked the stillness, his voice soft, but filled with uncertainty. “You’re no longer here, and I am so in need of your counsel.”

He closed his eyes, hoping against hope that his father would appear from out of the nowhere and give him the answers that he was so desperately wishing to hear. The area remained empty and the words he strained to hear had not emerged.

He knew beyond any doubt that Lucy Pevensie had proclaimed her undying love to him. Yet, there was an unchanging fear that seemed to dwell within his heart and this was a more powerful force than anything he had ever encountered.

With his eyes still closed, he could feel the tears streaming down over his cheeks. Instead of wiping them away, he sat for the longest time, his contemplations drifting until he heard a peculiar sound in the distance. This distracted him and he finally stood up with the intention of going to investigate.

The peculiar noise seemed to be coming from the other side of the stables, he concluded as he brusquely made his way. Being a faun did have its advantages, he could run faster than just about anyone, even the present-day kings and queens.

As he rounded a corner, he could see that a group of about five centaurs had assembled. From where he stood, he could not make out anything until he came closer and managed to spot Lydia and Johann among them. It looked to Tumnus as though both of Angelina’s parents had been arrested by members of Aslan’s army and were being made to answer for their actions. He stared for several moments, almost feeling sorry for the two of them.

Lydia’s hair was hanging in clumps down over her shoulders, her clothes ripped and her eyes a dull and empty green. Johann looked as though he had been a dusty old book taken down from a shelf after having spent a better part of his days filed away. Tumnus could tell that the dryad’s face was void of color, his cheeks sunken in, and his beard unkempt. Both the nymph and the dryad had their hands bound, and General Oreius was holding the rope that bound Johann’s.

The faun stood for several moments, his eyes literally staring at them, but he did not move. Instead he watched what was happening as Johann turned his head slightly. As he recognized the faun, he motioned with one of his bound hands for him to come closer.

Hesitantly, Tumnus took several baby steps, thus coming closer to the group. As he walked, he regarded them, his eyes filled with sadness, but no words emerged. In fact, several moments of silence seemed to have passed before any words were exchanged at all.

When something was finally said, the words did not emerge from Tumnus or Lydia; instead, they emerged as a shrill scream as Angelina practically shot out from nowhere and came over to the group.

“Papa,” she cried out as she ran towards them. Ignoring the centaurs, she threw herself against her father, her arms winding around Johann’s neck as far as they would go. “Papa, I’m so sorry,” she wept, her voice cracking as she held tightly to him. As Tumnus half expected, no words were said to her mother, in fact Angelina seemed set on ignoring Lydia’s presence entirely.

Johann simply waited until his daughter had loosened her embrace. As she did, he took both of her hands in his and squeezed them gently. This did not help, in fact, Angelina’s sobs became all the louder. Eventually, Johann released his daughter’s hands and reached for Tumnus’. Once he held one of the faun’s hands, he pulled him a few steps closer.

“He wants you to take care of her,” Lydia said softly, but no further words emerged. In fact, the nymph started to walk away from the group without even a backwards glance to her daughter.

Tumnus looked down at the girl whose hand he now held and when she raised her head for a second, he could do nothing but nod.

Seconds later, Johann was led away and his daughter and the faun were now alone. She was still crying, but she continued to call out to her father her hands raised in his direction. “Papa,” she whimpered helplessly as the centaurs and her parents disappeared in the distance.

Once they were gone, she raised her head and looked at Tumnus, his face blurred by her tears. “What’s going to happen to me, now?” she asked brokenly.

“I do not know,” the faun responded in kind, but he reached out and touched her face gently. “Whatever the future may bring, you won’t be facing any of it alone.”

“But I…an apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” her eyes were still facing the direction her parents had gone in.

“Sometimes they do,” Tumnus said smiling gently as understanding washed over him. It was truly as he had surmised, even after everything that had happened; the nymph was trying to take responsibility for everything. _This poor child,_ he thought sadly, _she has just lost both her parents and now she feels more alone than anyone could imagine._

He took a deep breath all the while feeling the tears catching in his own eyes. “You are the same age I was when I lost my parents,” he said gently. “Perhaps it is not under the same circumstances, but still it feels very much the same to me.”

She shrugged her shoulders dejectedly as he took a deep breath and rested his hand on the top of her head. “I will do whatever I can to help you, although I am not quite sure if what I do is going to help. You see, I’ve been quite the loner for much of my life, and I do not know if what I do is right or the best thing for you. I do want to make sure that you will never be alone again.”

“I don’t want to force myself on you, Tumnus,” she whispered as she lowered her head once again. Contrary to this, he could see that the tears were making their way down her face. “I simply know that my presence here is not wished for. I think it causes you too much pain.”

“No, my girl,” Tumnus said softly as he began to wipe the tears from her cheeks. “Not anymore.”

The young nymph raised her head dejectedly as she looked into the deep blue eyes of the faun. “I’m so sorry…”

“Whatever for?” he asked softly. “You have done nothing wrong.” This time as he heard these very words emerging, he knew that they came from the bottom of his heart.

Seconds later, someone cleared their throat and he raised his head to see that Mr. Beaver was standing in the clearing. “Tumnus, I was asked to bring this letter to you,” the beaver said simply.

The faun nodded and reached out to accept the proffered object. “Who’s it from?”

Angelina glanced briefly down at the handwriting on the envelope and immediately recognizing it, she spoke, her voice a dull whisper, “my father.”

Tumnus nodded and opened the envelope and began to read.

_Dear Tumnus,_

_You are indeed your father’s son, and that should fill your heart with all the pride that exists. Your father was among the bravest in all of Narnia; his courage will go down in history as something, which others will strive to attain. Just as your loyalty and friendship will become a part of Narnia’s history and will live on to infinity._

_The day you helped Lucy Pevensie, I was there and watched as you shook hands and looked into the eyes of the child from beyond our world. Her eyes held a glow that could warm even the hardest of hearts. I chuckled when you both screamed and you darted behind a tree and she took sanctuary behind the lamppost. I watched as she retrieved your package and asked ‘what are you?’ innocently…lovingly. I kept thinking as I listened to you both speaking, what a blessing it was that you were the one who discovered her. You were the one who saved her life. If she had met me, things would have drastically different then they were, and I cringe today when I think of how. I would not have had the courage to send her back the way you did._

_Later, when I saw you at the Witch’s house, I knew what had happened, she had won your heart, she had become a part of you, and that had put you in indescribable danger. It was the same love that I saw your parents emanate time and again, not only towards one another, but also towards you, their beloved son. They have every reason in the world to be proud of you, and I believe they are. You had the courage I never had, you chose to protect someone instead of tear them down, and now I hear that you have been doing the very same for my daughter._

_I know that I will soon die, my health has been taunting me for years, but I ask, no, I beg of you to please take care of Angelina. See that she learns of the Narnia that we once knew before the 100 years of winter, before the witch destroyed and changed me. Angelina needs a friend who is true, kind, and good; someone who will protect her from the tempest of my past. Someone who will accept her regardless of the horrible things I have done._

_I know I deserve no empathy from you, nor do I ask of it. I won’t even seek your forgiveness, as I fear I am not deserving of it anyway. I have hurt you in so many ways. I have robbed you of everything you held most dear, your family, your freedom, perhaps even your life. Your life was almost a sacrifice if not for Aslan, and yet I realize today that I am nothing more than a coward and a traitor. Yet even in that knowing, I realize that I have no voice except here with these words and this letter._

_Please, Tumnus, I am not one who has a heart of stone; I was frightened, as many of our people were. I simply didn’t have the courage your father had…that you have, and today I live with that in silent regret…_

_Sincerely yours,  
Johann_

Tumnus stared down at the letter for several moments and then looked at the beaver. “Thank you for bringing this to me, Mr. Beaver,” he offered weakly and folded the letter and tucked it away.

“What did he say?” Angelina asked softly.

“He said that he wants me to take care of you, teach you the ways before the winter came,” Tumnus said. “Your father is dying, Angelina, and he wants to make sure that before he does, that you have a family.”

She looked up and bravely nodded, but the next words that she spoke, made his mouth fall open in astonishment. “A family with you and Queen Lucy?” she asked softly.

No answer emerged, in fact, the faun could only shrug his shoulders and regard her through confused blue eyes, but after several minutes, he wrapped her in his arms and held her tightly in his embrace.

~~~~~

It was closing in on the noon hour by the time Lucy had woken up. The exhaustion of the past three days had finally caught up with the young queen. Even at this moment, she could feel herself wanting nothing more than to pull the covers over her head and go back to sleep. Instead of doing so, she opened her eyes and raised her head, but still lying there, she tried without success at shifting about.

It was at that moment when she realized that her nightgown was raveled too tightly around her body. Slowly, she crawled to the edge of the bed and swung her legs over the side.

It felt so good to be back home, but she could not forget what had happened before Leopold had attacked them in the forest. The kisses she had exchanged with Tumnus and the feelings she had towards him were unlike anything she had ever experienced in her life. She and Tumnus had not mentioned anything about them and now she wondered if she had scared the faun off with the bold statements she had made while confronting her brother.

She could not get over the fact that Tumnus had confessed his love to her, and she had basically done the same. As she thought of all of these things, her eyes misted over somewhat.

Eventually, she went over to the chair where the yellow scarf was draped over it and wound it gently around her neck. As she did this, her eyes were somehow focused on the floor, but still, she touched the yarn. “I must return this to him,” she mumbled as she grabbed her dressing gown and pulled it over her nightgown. She made her way over to the door, which led out into the corridor. Opening it, she peered out into the hallway.

When she saw that no one was present, she broke into a brusque run all the while hoping that no one would spot her inappropriately dressed and roaming about outside her private chamber. _I’m queen here,_ she thought to herself smugly. _If I want to, I could declare a national dressing gown day where everyone must go about in their pajamas._

Giggling softly at this fleeting idea, she managed to reach Tumnus’ door unseen. Several moments of awkward hesitation passed before she could bring herself to knock on it. _Would he still be asleep or even inside?_ She asked herself. _Perhaps he had already left to go to the dining hall for lunch._

She ran her hands down the wrinkled dressing gown. _Maybe I should have properly dressed before coming to see him,_ she thought, but eventually found the courage to raise her fist and lightly tap on the door. She was still dreadfully tired, and subconsciously, she began to pat her hair into place as the door opened.

“Lucy?” Tumnus’ voice emerged and she was brought out of her reverie, “is something the matter?”

As she felt the cool air from his room wafting out into the hallway and brushing against her skin, she raised her head and looked up at him. “I just wanted to see if you were awake,” she offered feebly. “Did you get any sleep?”

The faun nodded, “a little, yes. I actually went down to the garden at daybreak. I needed a little time to myself. I had just returned and laid down to rest when you knocked.”

“You look tired,” she remarked softly. “Perhaps, I should go.”

“No, please do come in,” he said.

Although Lucy had misgivings about disturbing him, she stepped into the room when she saw that familiar and loving look in his eyes. He motioned towards the small table and chairs that were positioned next to the fireplace.

“Would you care for some tea?” he offered.

“N-no, I didn’t mean to disturb you,” she whispered as she began to unwind the woolen scarf from around her neck. “I-I just wanted to return your scarf is all.” As she said these words she somehow managed to remove the scarf and extend it to him.

Instead of immediately taking it from her, he reached for her hand and holding it, he gently pulled her over to one of the chairs. He then went over and lightly closed the door. Returning to her side, he offered her a bashful smile. “I must admit that in all the excitement, I had actually forgotten about it.”

She nodded, but cast a quick glance down at her disheveled state. “I’m just woke up and wanted to bring it back to you before I forget. I guess I should have done something about my appearance, I’m sorry I don’t look so nice right now. If you don’t wish for my company, then I would understand.”

“Do you really think that is all I care about?” he asked softly as a slightly mischievous smile touched his lips. “I had rather hoped that you wanted to see me.”

“Oh but I did want to see you,” she objected, her words suddenly coming out in a rush. “I wanted to talk to you about what happened last night, and to tell you that I can’t forget about what was said at the Stone Table. Tumnus, I was so scared that what happened with the cordial and Lydia would have destroyed everything that we might have found. I was scared that once everything was alright here that you would have left and forgotten all about me.”

He shook his head. “I could never forget you,” he said softly, his blue eyes filled with gentility. “Lydia cannot harm us anymore, Lucy. She and Johann were captured and will be brought to justice for their actions. Johann apparently went and gave himself up.”

“He did?” Lucy asked and Tumnus nodded. “I find that hard to believe, simply based on what your father wrote about him.”

“Yes, I found it hard to believe myself, but then I saw General Oreius leading them both through the courtyard earlier today and I realized that it must have been the truth,” he said.

“How is Angelina taking the news?” Lucy asked.

“When I saw her she was pretty broken up about it,” he said honestly. “She was crying in the garden. You know that she loves her father dearly and that’s the way it should be. Our prejudices should not change the love that that child feels for him.”

“What about Bettina?” Lucy asked.

“I don’t really know, but I heard that she and Angelina have been trying to reconcile their differences, which is good,” Tumnus said softly, but reached over and touched the side of her face. “Now, I would very much like it if we did not discuss this further. It may seem selfish to say, but for me this situation is over. It is now time for all of us to move on.” As he spoke, he lowered his hand, but continued speaking. “I would very much like to be with you without having something looming over our heads.”

Without warning, he released his hold on her and went over to the door. Extracting a key from beneath the folds of his scarf, he stuck it in the door and turned it before pulling it out. He then placed the key on the table and returned to her side. Extending his hand, he waited for her to accept before pulling her to her feet. “Now, we can speak without interruption.”

Lucy nodded as he led her over to a loveseat and they seated themselves. Once they were comfortable, she looked down at her hands just before she felt his arms encircling her and she could feel herself being pulled closer to him, his mouth now only inches away from hers. “Tumnus, I…” her words were suddenly muffled when she felt his lips kissing her gently.

As soon as she felt this, she could suddenly feel herself beginning to cry, the tears streaming down over her cheeks as they meshed against their connected lips.

He broke the kiss when he tasted the saltiness of her tears. “Lucy, dearest, whatever is the matter? Why are you crying?”

“Nothing’s the matter,” she said softly, her voice cracking with emotion. “I’m just happy being here with you, and…” her words trailed as she buried her face against him. “…I love you.”

He continued to stroke the back of her head as he felt her tears falling and landing on his chest. “I love you too, my dear, so very much,” he said, but all the while wondered if she could tell that his heart was racing wildly. His thoughts felt as though they were literally careening out of control.

Seconds passed and she could feel her weight shifting and she raised her head to look into his eyes. She wanted to speak, but somehow, she could not find the words she wanted to say. The tears were still falling, but amidst them, she was looking up at him, a small smile tugging at her lips.

At that moment, he reached over and captured both sides of her face in his hands, his gentle fingertips rubbing along her cheeks. “My dearest Lucy,” he whispered as he lowered his head once again, his lips seeking hers.

As soon as she felt his lips firmly against hers, she sank into the kiss, her arms winding around him until she touched the line of hair that extended from his head right down his back. The feel of the hair was like touching the finest silk in Narnia, and her hands ravished it gently. As she felt his hands in her hair, excitement began to curse through her, and she opened her eyes and broke the kiss.

“Is there some place else where we can sit?” She asked weakly. “My back is still stiff from having slept on the ground.”

“Are you tired?” he asked.

“A little,” she whispered honestly.

“Perhaps you ought to lie down,” he suggested, but remained seated on the loveseat and did not seem ready to move. He motioned towards the bed that was at the other end of the room and after only a moment’s hesitation; she stood up and walked slowly towards it. Sitting down on the edge of it, she eventually looked over to see that he was still seated on the loveseat. “Tumnus,” she spoke his name and extended her hand to him.

He eventually stood up and walked slowly towards where she was seated and she watched as he slowly sat down next to her. Feeling his presence next to her, she leaned towards him and rested her head on his shoulder. “Tumnus,” she whispered his name a second time as she inched herself even closer to him. She raised her head after several minutes and could feel that he had turned his head once again and his lips captured hers, the kiss soft and gentle.

As it became deeper, she closed her eyes and allowed her mouth to unconsciously open and give herself to him. He moaned softly as he did his part to intensify the kiss.

After what felt like an eternity for her, Lucy found herself wanting even more from him than he was giving. In a matter of moments and after their kiss broke, she allowed her body to sink back against the blankets on the bed. As she felt the soft duvet against her back she pulled him down to her and felt his body landing on top of hers.

The moment that Tumnus realized what had happened, his eyes widened and he squirmed uncomfortably. “Lucy, what are you doing?” he managed to ask, all the while scrambling against her hold to sit back up.

Much to his amazement, Lucy was holding him tightly, her arms trapping him in her embrace. “This isn’t right,” he managed to object, but that did not deter the young queen in the slightest. She held tightly to him until he had ceased with his struggling and managed to turn his head and look at her, his eyes wide with shock.

“If I am to be your bride, Tumnus, then you must have all of me, not just a small part,” she whispered as she gazed into his eyes, her own glistening with unshed tears. Even at this moment, she was deeply afraid that he would turn her away, and without thinking, she closed her eyes.

“You still wish to be my bride?” Tumnus asked insecurely.

“Yes,” the young queen whispered, “that is…if you will have me.”

“I would wish for nothing more than to be yours,” he said softly, his voice catching with emotion as he stroked her face gently, his hands trembling somewhat nervously as he tried to shift so that he did not feel as though he was trapping her beneath his weight.

“I’m so glad that is your wish, because I want it, too,” she smiled weakly at him, but with a small glint of mischief, she continued. “After all, if we weren’t meant to be together then this position would be awfully strange for both of us.” Tumnus smiled and nodded as she continued to speak, her voice playful. “I have to admit that I especially like to feel you lying next to me.”

“I’m not exactly next to you,” he stammered and finally managed to shift around until he was lying beside her, his hands touching her face. “Now I am.”

Lucy smiled as she allowed her body to spoon itself next to his, her eyes closing slowly. Seconds later, the two of them drifted off to sleep.

~~~~~

When Tumnus opened his eyes about twenty minutes later, he could see that Lucy was sound asleep next to him, her arm wrapped snugly around him and a small smile gracing her lips. He slowly rolled over so that he was facing her. “My love, I am yours, heart and soul,” he said softly as he watched her eyes slowly open. His heart suddenly skipped a beat when he saw her crawling off the bed and standing before him. She then began to fumble with the buttons to her dressing gown.

Instead of feeling nervous or afraid at what would come next, the faun watched as she cast the gown aside and he beheld her standing in his room dressed only in her favorite cotton nightgown. He watched as she crawled over to the pillows and pulled the bedding aside and crawled under the covers. Without hesitating, he got up and went over to where she now lay and crawled under the blankets as well.

“Am I yours heart and soul, Tumnus?” Lucy asked weakly as he wrapped her tightly in his arms. Time seemed to stand still as she found herself resting in the crock of his arm.

“Heart and soul,” he affirmed and no further words were spoken. He pulled the covers over them and lowered his head to kiss her waiting lips.


	15. Epilogue

**Epilogue  
Several Weeks Later**

The sun was high in the sky over Cair Paravel as Lucy and Tumnus strolled through the gardens together. It was nice to be able to walk together, holding onto one another, not feeling as though they must hide their affections in caves, or private rooms. Both of them were happy and at that moment, Lucy’s eyes filled with a newfound joy that she had not experienced in years. She could feel the softness of the hair on his arm tickling her neck as they walked, his arm casually wrapped around her shoulders.

As they walked, she looked around the beautifully decorated grounds, a smile tugging at her lips. “Tumnus, what is the matter?” she asked when she noticed a faraway look in his eyes. “You seem so distant today.”

“It feels strange,” the faun confessed. “Johann has been captured, and yet everything inside of me feels as though it has been turned inside out.”

“You said that Mr. Beaver gave you a letter when he arrived, but you never told me what it said,” Lucy said softly.

“I couldn’t,” he said with an unhappy sigh. “It hurt far too much. Perhaps I needed some time to accept everything that has happened.”

She nodded sadly, but something inside of her would not let this go. “Why won’t you tell me what happened? I told you about how dreadfully I felt about harming Angelina. Do you not trust me?”

“Of course I do, I just fear that the letter Johann sent to me might have an impact on their fate,” Tumnus admitted weakly. “You are still a queen of Narnia, and perhaps it would seem wrong of me to keep it from you. Forgive me, but it feels rather awkward for me to speak about such private matters under such circumstances.”

“Would it help if I told Peter that I want nothing whatsoever to do with what will become of them? You are my betrothed and I want to be there for you when you need me. I failed for three very long years, but I am here now. Will you not trust me to keep your confidence?”

The faun nodded. “Of course I will,” he said and with a gentle hand he led her slowly over to a bench. Once she had sat down, he produced the letter and with trembling hands, he extended it to her. Instead of simply accepting the letter and starting to read it; Lucy reached over and gently took hold of his hand.

“Please don’t worry, Tumnus,” Lucy said softly as he sat down beside her and watched as she opened the letter and began to read.

When she had finished reading, she returned the letter to the unhappy faun. “Why didn’t you show me this before?” she whispered as she gingerly touched the letter with one hand, but reached for his hand with the other.

Tumnus shook his head but surrendered his hand. “I don’t know,” he said trying to look at her through brave eyes. “There’s a voice inside me that instructs me to leave the past in the past, but no matter how hard I try, the pain remains. There are moments when I can still feel his presence and during those times I wonder if he would feel proud of the faun that I became.”

“Of course he would,” she whispered.

“That’s very noble of you to say,” he whispered. “Sometimes, I look at my reflection in a mirror and I wonder if I can ever be as brave and selfless as he was. Am I really my father’s son?”

“You are,” Lucy said simply. “He’s a part of you, and that part of him that is in you will always exist, no matter what happens in your life.” She reached over and touched his face, and when his gaze met hers, she smiled weakly. “Sadly, I cannot think of anything else to say.”

He squeezed her hand. “You have said enough to console me and I do believe that he would have loved you very much. You speak with wisdom beyond your years.”

“You told me some time ago that you never properly grieved for your father, maybe now it’s time,” she said softly. “Tumnus, you need to cry or scream or stamp your feet…uh hooves, something. You’ll completely fall to bits if you don’t.”

“Yes,” he whispered with an unhappy nod, “I know, but I am not certain I can do that.”

“Sometimes crying does make one feel better,” she offered. “Do you remember when Aslan left?”

The night of your coronation,” he said with a slow nod. “I shall never forget it, you were dreadfully sad when he had gone. I could somehow tell that you tried with all your might to will yourself not to cry.”

“I wanted to. I wanted to cry, scream, and yell at him to come back and not leave us. I didn’t want him to go because I knew that I would miss him dreadfully. I wanted to have him be a part of our lives. But, I didn’t realize that he was, I mean; I can still feel his presence even when he is not there. Maybe that’s what happens when someone dies, they still remain a part of us, even after they are physically gone. Tumnus, you are your father’s son, just as that letter states. That means that your father is still with you, his memory lives on in you. Everything you do is a reflection of what your father did in his life as well as the legacy he left behind,” she said.

“You never knew him, but he was very good and kind,” Tumnus whispered sorrowfully.

“I didn’t have to know him, my beloved, to know you is to know him,” she said wisely.

Tumnus looked down at her, his blue eyes literally swimming in tears upon hearing her last words. Seconds later, the faun collapsed in her arms and her breath nearly jarred out of her. She managed to maintain her hold on him even upon hearing the sounds of his weeping against her shoulder. Carefully, she wound her arms around him and held him as he released the grief that he had been carrying for so many years.

As his weeping subsided, they drew apart and Lucy looked into the eyes of the faun. With a handkerchief, she began to wipe the skin beneath his eyes. “Now the healing can begin,” she said smiling up at him.

“No, Lucy, now my life truly begins,” he said brokenly, but touched her face with the side of his hand. “I wasted so much time with sadness and grief. I lost a great deal because I hesitated about sharing my feelings with you. I am so grateful that no more time will be lost for either of us.”

The young queen nodded as they shared another embrace.

~~~~~

The two of them remained seated on the bench for the duration of the afternoon, but as early dusk was falling, Lucy raised her head to see that Angelina was slowly coming towards them. The young nymph’s head was lowered and tears were streaming from beneath her eyes.

As she slowly came closer, she was wiping her face with the sleeve of her dress, but stopped as Lucy turned around and extended her hand to her. “Come and sit with us,” she offered and the nymph started to come closer to them.

Before reaching them, she suddenly sank to the ground, her knees scraping against the ground as an agonized wail emerged. “He’s gone…” her words trailed but the misery in them could be felt throughout the palace courtyard.

Before Lucy and Tumnus could get up and go to her, Aslan had once more appeared and the lion was walking slowly towards her unsuspecting back. Neither of them said a word, but they watched as he reached the sorrow-filled nymph and rested his head against her shoulder, his soft mane causing her to raise her head and hear him speak to her.

“Fear not, Angelina, you are not alone any longer, my child,” he said gently, his voice soft and melodic.

She buried her face against his mane, her hot tears smearing against the softness of it. “My father is gone,” she whimpered.

“I know,” he said gently. “But you have a new family now, one who will love and nurture you. You had prayed that I would come and help you. It was your father’s last wish that you were to be guarded and protected from the tragic story that has emanated from your family.”

“Does that mean that you…that you have really been watching over me?” she asked, her voice cracking with emotion.

“Yes, my child,” he said softly. “I was summoned to come, find you, and bring these two together.” He motioned towards Tumnus and Lucy who sat watching without saying a word. “Your story will forever be intertwined with theirs, Angelina. It was no accident that you found your way to his door.”

He looked at Tumnus. “You have carried the sadness with you for far too long, my dear Tumnus, and now through your unlimited emotion of love, you will find healing from all the grief you carried in your life. Johann has returned to my father’s land, he will wait for you there, my child, but until that day comes, you will have one another to sustain your lives. You are all three different creatures, but you are the same in the heart and mind, and it is there where you finally have found a family.”

With that Aslan was gone and Tumnus went over and got on his knees next to her and wrapped the grieving nymph in his arms. “I promised your father that I would look after you, and that’s what I intend to do,” he said softly and from his place on the ground, he extended his hand to Lucy and watched as the queen came towards them and got down on her knees next to them and took them both in her arms.

~~~~~

In the years to come, Narnia would always remember the sight of the three of them holding tightly to one another on the grounds of Cair Paravel. Even after Lucy was destined to leave Narnia, she would ultimately return in order to share a new beginning in a new life.

These images would exist long after the stories have ended and new tales had been woven. The story of Tumnus the faun, his human love Lucy Pevensie, and the nymph named Angelina who would became their daughter would be what legends are born from. It will be in that where true tales of devotion are repeated long after the print fades and books are discarded. It will be through that, that a love that spans beyond moments, time and physical incarnations will be born and live on forever.

For Tumnus and Angelina; that forever would begin the moment they would be reunited with their soul mate, and adopted mother, Lucy.


End file.
